Peca Takes out the Thrash

New York Captain Mike Peca has a career night Saturday, registering six assists in a 10-2 Islander beating of the team from Atlanta. Five of the assists came on the powerplay, as the Islanders went 6 for 7 with the man advantage. Six different goal scorers got goals on the powerplay, as the team took advantage of the aggressive Thrasher club, which leads the team in penalties (39.4 PIM/game). Coach Lorne Henning spoke of his teams special teams success. “We knew these guys were going play a tough game.We worked on some new look powerplay formations during the morning skate, and Peca just put a clinic on out there for us.”



With the 6 powerplay goals, the Islanders PP efficiency climbed to 31.7%, tops in the lead. Their powerplay was equally solid in the game, killing all 4 advantages against, and now sits at 92.9%



Marian Hossa was another key offensive force for the Islanders, as he scored a pair of goals and added two assists. Pavol Datsyuk continues to thrive, with 2 goals and an assist.

The Islanders have now won 6 straight games, but still sit 2nd in the conference behind the surging Carolina Hurricanes, who are undefeated in 10 games. The Patrick Division continues to be dominant, as Florida and New Jersey sit in 3rd and 4th place, meaning the top 4 teams and 6 of the top 8 in the conference are all from the same division.