MIKE4DEVILS
04-16-2005, 09:58 PM
ALBANY, N.Y. (April 16, 2005). It was not a particularly good way to end the home-game portion of the River Rats' season: a 4-0 blanking by the visiting Philadelphia Phantoms. After a scoreless half of the first period, a most improbable goal for Philadelphia turned out to be the game-winner. Cam Janssen was headed full speed, like a locomotive on a mission, ready to hammer John Slaney just inside the Albany side of the red line. Janssen finished his check with authority, but not before Slaney uncorked a 90-foot shot on goal. It surprised Ari Ahonen, who bobbled it and saw it sail past his glove and into the net.
At the other end of the ice, a combination of missed scoring chances (some of them golden, "grade A" scoring opportunities) by Albany players, and exceptionally good play by Phantoms' netminder, Antero Nittymaki, spelled the difference.
To list just a few of the missed opportunities for Albany that might have made a difference: Albany had 1:36 of 5-on-3 power play opportunity that straddled the end of the second and beginning of the third periods. A full 1:19 of it was on fresh ice at the start of the final period (when the Rats were, by then, trailing 2-0). The following occurred: Bryan Miller lost it at the blue line; Bobby Allen lost it at the blue line. Both of those were failures to keep the puck in the attack zone when opportunities beckoned.
Zach Parise missed the net twice on golden scoring chances in the slot, once with seven minutes remaining, once short-handed late in the second period when a Phantoms' defender threw or dropped his stick in front of Parise.
Cam Janssen missed the net by inches, when he tipped a rebound of a shot from Ahren Nittel.
Ahren Nittel, usually a good power play shooter (with 17 man-up markers in 48 games), came up empty, missing the net on several good cross-ice setups.
With those lost opportunities, and Nittymaki turning aside all 36 of Albany's shots on goal, Ahonen's flub of Slaney's 90-foot shot meant the game. Albany's netminder was good at times, including stopping Jon Sim on a 2-on-1 in the first period after Sim pick-pocketed Aleksander Suglobov. Another fine Rats' goaltending effort came midway through the second period when Ben Eager and Joni Pitkanen were working an odd-man rush. (Pitkanen, a defenseman, jumped into the offensive zone a lot tonight, including finishing off a tic-tac-toe late in the first period to give the Phantoms a 2-0 lead.)
Special teams' performance was sub-par for the Rats tonight, as they were 0-for-8 on the power play. Referee Ryan Fraser, faulted last night in Hartford by radio broadcaster, John Scherzer, gave Albany the benefit of the doubt tonight, as he penalized Albany 20 minutes on 7 infractions, whistling Philadelphia 38 minutes on 12 violations.
Nittymaki made a few stellar stops tonight on his way to "first star" honors. One of his best saves was a power play shot by Brian Gionta at the far side of the post. An Albany teammate had snapped a flat pass through the paint and Gionta was robbed by the Phantoms' netminder, at 3:51 of the third when Ben Eager was in the penalty box for high sticking Alex Brooks.
In the third period, Jon Sims worked a give-and-go with R.J. Umberger and caught Ahonen as he was trying to slide across. The final Phantoms' goal, by Randy Jones on a power play, was a roof shot that sailed in just under the cross-bar.
In the pugilist department, Cam Janssen, always ready, willing and able to drop the gloves, was at a disadvantage against Todd Fedoruk, who had first popped Janssen's lid off, then pinned him against the boards. Edge to Phantoms on that fight.
Moments later, heavyweight Rob Skrlac pummeled Josh Gratton at center ice, the only thing the Rats won tonight and the only thing that Albany fans cheered about.
In a way, it is really too bad that the last home game of the season fizzled as it did. Coming into today's game, Albany, though eliminated form post-season play weeks ago, was one of only four teams that had won 8 of their last 10 games (Binghamton, looking for the East divisions title; Providence clawing onto the fourth and final playoff position in the Atlantic; and Houston, also in a playoff battle in the West, were the other three that played .800 hockey over the last 10.) Tonight, though, clearly was not up to par with the Rats' recent efforts. No player, with the exception of Brian Gionta (aggressive play; one odd-man rush on a penalty kill that caused a hooking by the Phantoms to thwart a Parise-Gionta short-handed bid), had a really "good" outing. And against a team like Philadelphia, that is not good enough to earn or deserve a victory.
The three stars: third, to Mark Murphy of Philadelphia, with two assists; second, to Jon Sim of the Phantoms, with one goal; and, first, to Antero Nittymaki, with 36 saves and the shutout.
At the other end of the ice, a combination of missed scoring chances (some of them golden, "grade A" scoring opportunities) by Albany players, and exceptionally good play by Phantoms' netminder, Antero Nittymaki, spelled the difference.
To list just a few of the missed opportunities for Albany that might have made a difference: Albany had 1:36 of 5-on-3 power play opportunity that straddled the end of the second and beginning of the third periods. A full 1:19 of it was on fresh ice at the start of the final period (when the Rats were, by then, trailing 2-0). The following occurred: Bryan Miller lost it at the blue line; Bobby Allen lost it at the blue line. Both of those were failures to keep the puck in the attack zone when opportunities beckoned.
Zach Parise missed the net twice on golden scoring chances in the slot, once with seven minutes remaining, once short-handed late in the second period when a Phantoms' defender threw or dropped his stick in front of Parise.
Cam Janssen missed the net by inches, when he tipped a rebound of a shot from Ahren Nittel.
Ahren Nittel, usually a good power play shooter (with 17 man-up markers in 48 games), came up empty, missing the net on several good cross-ice setups.
With those lost opportunities, and Nittymaki turning aside all 36 of Albany's shots on goal, Ahonen's flub of Slaney's 90-foot shot meant the game. Albany's netminder was good at times, including stopping Jon Sim on a 2-on-1 in the first period after Sim pick-pocketed Aleksander Suglobov. Another fine Rats' goaltending effort came midway through the second period when Ben Eager and Joni Pitkanen were working an odd-man rush. (Pitkanen, a defenseman, jumped into the offensive zone a lot tonight, including finishing off a tic-tac-toe late in the first period to give the Phantoms a 2-0 lead.)
Special teams' performance was sub-par for the Rats tonight, as they were 0-for-8 on the power play. Referee Ryan Fraser, faulted last night in Hartford by radio broadcaster, John Scherzer, gave Albany the benefit of the doubt tonight, as he penalized Albany 20 minutes on 7 infractions, whistling Philadelphia 38 minutes on 12 violations.
Nittymaki made a few stellar stops tonight on his way to "first star" honors. One of his best saves was a power play shot by Brian Gionta at the far side of the post. An Albany teammate had snapped a flat pass through the paint and Gionta was robbed by the Phantoms' netminder, at 3:51 of the third when Ben Eager was in the penalty box for high sticking Alex Brooks.
In the third period, Jon Sims worked a give-and-go with R.J. Umberger and caught Ahonen as he was trying to slide across. The final Phantoms' goal, by Randy Jones on a power play, was a roof shot that sailed in just under the cross-bar.
In the pugilist department, Cam Janssen, always ready, willing and able to drop the gloves, was at a disadvantage against Todd Fedoruk, who had first popped Janssen's lid off, then pinned him against the boards. Edge to Phantoms on that fight.
Moments later, heavyweight Rob Skrlac pummeled Josh Gratton at center ice, the only thing the Rats won tonight and the only thing that Albany fans cheered about.
In a way, it is really too bad that the last home game of the season fizzled as it did. Coming into today's game, Albany, though eliminated form post-season play weeks ago, was one of only four teams that had won 8 of their last 10 games (Binghamton, looking for the East divisions title; Providence clawing onto the fourth and final playoff position in the Atlantic; and Houston, also in a playoff battle in the West, were the other three that played .800 hockey over the last 10.) Tonight, though, clearly was not up to par with the Rats' recent efforts. No player, with the exception of Brian Gionta (aggressive play; one odd-man rush on a penalty kill that caused a hooking by the Phantoms to thwart a Parise-Gionta short-handed bid), had a really "good" outing. And against a team like Philadelphia, that is not good enough to earn or deserve a victory.
The three stars: third, to Mark Murphy of Philadelphia, with two assists; second, to Jon Sim of the Phantoms, with one goal; and, first, to Antero Nittymaki, with 36 saves and the shutout.