On Tuesday, your New
York Islanders faced the Philadelphia Flyers.
The game scenario was this:
The Isles needed only 1
point to clinch a 2014-15 playoff spot.
They were going for a
season sweep of the Flyers.
They were looking to hold
on to 2nd place in the metro and pad their conference point total.
Kulemin-Tavares-Strome,
Lee-Bailey-Okposo, Grabner-Nelson-Kennedy, Boulton-Cizikas-McDonald.
Strait-Hamonic,
Leddy-Boychuk, Hickey-Visnovsky.
Jaroslav Halak was in
goal with Michal Neuvirth on the bench.
Colin McDonald and
Michael Grabner were in for Matt Martin and Frans Nielsen. Tyler Kennedy was in for Cal Clutterbuck (undisclosed
injury) and there were no changes on defense, Donovan & de Haan were still scratched. Here is my "Lookback" of the game.
The start of the game
was all Philadelphia. They took a 2-0 lead
in the first - off goals by Girioux. John
Tavares (Strome & Leddy) deflected a Strome shot to convert on the PP to
make it a 2-1 game halfway through the second, but Bellemare made it 3-1 Flyers just a couple of minutes later.
Colaiacovo converted for a 4-1 Flyers lead just into the
third period and the Isles looked like they were out of the game for good.
New York dug deep and,
behind the example of their Captain, rallied in the final period in all areas
of their game. Anders Lee (Bailey &
Visnovsky) & Johnny Boychuk (Tavares) would make it 4-3 with less than two
minutes left in regulation. It
would be Lee who scored again with less than 30 seconds remaining to tie the
game at 4-4 and all but solidify the point needed to clinch a playoff spot for
the Islanders.
Schenn launched a desperation
shot from the circle that fluttered past Halak (22/27 with an .815Sv%) to stun
the Isles with less than 3 seconds remaining in the game and secure a 5-4 win
for the Flyers.
So despite out shooting
Philadelphia 40-27 in the game, going 2 of 3 on the PK and scoring 3 goals in
the third to force the much needed tie, the Isles couldn’t hold on to get the
job done late in the game. They were a
bleak 1 of 5 on the PP again, including a missed opportunity on an extended 5
on 3 man advantage.
With the loss, The
Islanders sit in third, 1 point behind Washington in the metro division with
two games left to play. Final games are
against the Pens in Pittsburgh on Friday and the season/Long Island finale at
the NVMC against the Bluejackets on Saturday.
Halak cannot miss that
stop and is clearly to blame for the winning goal. He is the main reason for not clinching last
night, but remember this: Jaroslav Halak
is also a prime reason the Isles have had the season they are having to this
point, and are even poised to reach the 100 point mark with two games remaining.
It was a brutal loss for
everyone to stomach and I am sure the team is just a little irritated at the
end result. It was a tough game to watch
and definitely a tough loss to accept. It will also continue to be a difficult
push to the next level for the players and organization, but there is still
much more to come. If you don't believe that and are just too frustrated with
their missteps and shortcomings, you may want to just give up and stop
supporting this team. I am sure there
will be more frustrations had as they continue to develop and learn to become a
serious contender. Being a diehard fan isn’t
for everyone.
Or you can accept the
bad taste left behind from last night, relax and realize they fought back and
put themselves in a position to win that game, but lost on a fluky goal. There are things they need to address moving forward
and must stop replicating the same mistakes &
I am still concerned about the state of coaching and occasional roster
decisions. But it ain't over yet.
And moving forward, I know they have gotten much better as a team this season and will continue to make us pr'oud for years to come, even if everything on our wish list isn’t “corrected.”
And moving forward, I know they have gotten much better as a team this season and will continue to make us pr'oud for years to come, even if everything on our wish list isn’t “corrected.”
Personally, when it comes
to my fandom and me supporting this team, Isle be there.
Isles Notes:
John Tavares leads the
NHL with 36 goals and 47 assists for 83 points in 80 games.
Congratulations to @MattyMarts17 on
winning his fourth consecutive Bob Nystrom Award for leadership, hustle and
dedication.
Isles sign D, Burroughs
to entry level deal:
DalColle vs HoSang in 2nd round of
OHL playoffs.
The new Isles locker room at
the Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY.
Sound Tigers Notes:
Ryan Pulock has been
named to the AHL All-Rookie team.
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