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OTTAWA (Ticker) -- The New York Islanders have not beaten the Ottawa Senators in 2 1/2 years. And they weren't about to end the winless streak by spending more than 16 1/2 minutes in the penalty box. Red-hot Marian Hossa scored twice and set up another goal as the Senators extended their unbeaten streak against the Islanders to 15 games with a 4-2 victory. New York's struggles against Ottawa continued Wednesday when the Senators went 1-for-7 with the extra man in a 2-2 tie on Long Island. They got one more goal on the man advantage in this one, but killing 10 power plays took its toll on the Islanders. "When you get so many penalties, the players not on the penalty kill get cold, and that puts a kink in your system," New York defenseman Adrian Aucoin said. "I didn't think we deserved that many penalties. We played a good game, which was exactly our game plan. We just couldn't do anything about the penalties." Hossa lifted Ottawa into a 1-1 tie on the power play with 2:18 to go in the second period, cutting in front from the goal line and putting a wrist shot past goaltender Chris Osgood. Just 58 seconds into the third, Radek Bonk whipped a pass out of the right corner to Hossa at the top of the crease. The Slovakian winger backhanded a shot off the right arm of a sprawling Osgood and into the net for his 15th goal. Todd White made it 3-1 at 3:30, but defenseman Roman Hamrlik answered for the Islanders just 57 seconds later. Hossa, who has 12 goals and 10 assists during a 13-game points streak, set up Martin Havlat's empty-netter in the final minute as Ottawa extended its overall unbeaten streak to 10 games (8-0-2). "It definitely feels great," Hossa said. "My teammates keep passing it to me and the puck keeps finding its way into the net." "He has developed year after year," Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson added. "This year, he's been exceptionally hot. He's been our best player on the ice this season." Despite killing four penalties, the Islanders had a 9-5 edge in shots in the first period and took the lead at 11:04 on Aucoin's sixth goal. After the puck squirted through the crease and out to the top of the right faceoff circle, Aucoin blasted a one-timer past rookie Martin Prusek. "I like what we did in the first period," Isles coach Peter Laviolette said. "Penalties hurt us in the second and two shifts in the third cost us the game." New York kill its first three penalties in the second before Hossa lifted Ottawa into a 1-1 tie. "We were at the bad end of a lt of calls that could go eier way and on calls that suld go only one way, and that's a call," Islanders captain Miael Peca aid. "We feel we're becomng victimzed. Having to kill off soany power plays is pretty ridiculo There's definitely some penalties we deserved, but only the refs can explain what they see and what they call." The loss dropped New York to 1-21-7 against Ottawa since 1996. "It's hard to say they got our number when it's different personnel year after year," Peca said. "It's more a case this organization has not been very patient with the game. When you lose your patience, that's when they get breaks and score goals." |
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