Tonight,
your New York Islanders opened up their 1st round match up against the Panthers
in Florida. Coach Capuano announced that
Quine, Hamonic, Pulock were in with Zidlicky and Strait, out. Three times, the home team
went up by a goal and three times, the guys from New York answered. Brock Nelson (Strome), Frans Nielsen PPG
(Tavares & Leddy) and John Tavares (Okposo & Nielsen) led the Islanders
in the first two periods on the score sheet with some impressive tallies. In the third, Kyle Okposo (Tavares) added to the Isles
momentum with a nifty wrister to put the Isles ahead for the first time in the
game just a few minutes into the period.
A few minutes later, Ryan Strome (Quine & Hamonic) scored the third unanswered
goal for New York and gave them a 5-3 lead against a stunned BB&T crowd and a stupefied Panthers team. Panthers
Tender, Roberto Luongo had been made uncomfortable by a few New York goals and
started to go down early. But the
Panthers would close within one just a minute later and the stage was set for
them to benefit from a horrible slashing call against Matt Martin, but the
Isles PK would hold true, 2/3 on the night. Oh, and how did you guys like what my guy, Alan Quine brought in this high pressure opportunity?
In
the final minutes of the closing period, the Islanders would clamp down and
repel the repeated pressure applied by the Panthers to try and mount a
comeback. Even after a timeout by the
home team in the final :10 to strategize, New York shut the door and won the
game by a 5-4 final score. A huge game 1
win on the road builds confidence and builds momentum for game 2 and certainly
showed the heart and the “compete level” of a team that hasn’t been given much
of a chance by hockey experts to win the series. They held on, negated the snarl of Florida’s
game and answered each and every surge bought on by their opponent. Their PP was 1/2 in the game.
The
return of Travis Hamonic was certainly a big factor. Hamonic played almost 25 minutes along with
Nick Leddy on a blue line. Defensively
as a unit, the Isles need to tighten up more for game 2 in front of Thomas
Greiss. Greiss was solid all game long
and made a few insane saves, including a desperation save on Jagr with around
31 seconds left. Despite
being outshot 46-26, Greiss held on for his first full NHL playoff victory and posted a .913Sv% with 42 saves on the road.
The
first line was awesome and set the pace for their team. Both Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo not only
got on the scoresheet a few times, but complimented a driven John Tavares in
his quest to open the series with a statement.
It wasn’t an easy choice, but Tavares is my Grail Knight of the game.
A
huge goal at the end of the second and one to start the third certainly set the
table for the Islanders to take this game from the higher seated Panthers. As determined as Florida seemed to be to set
the pace, the Islanders proved equal to the task and mounted a high pressure & relentless, able to surge back after each and every Panther strike.
Game
2 will have to be a more complete effort from the Islanders. They need to be better defensively and keep
up the intensity built up in game 1.
Tonight’s win should make even the most fickle Isles fan proud, but we all know it’s still only one game. Don’t think
Florida won’t be motivated to answer back tomorrow night. But I imagine the Islanders don’t feel they
played their best game either.
Just
imagine if they are able to grab a two game lead heading into Brooklyn. Cue the theme from Jaws.
Isles
Notes:
Per
Arthur Staple, “Isles announce today Michael Dal Colle headed to BPT on an
amateur tryout. Contract only starts if he plays for Islanders in postseason.”
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