Our
New York Islanders welcomed the Florida Panthers back to the Barclays Center for
a critical game 6 showdown. Historically,
the Isles are perfect (6/6) as a franchise at home in game 6’s (13-2 all-time) and
have won 9 of the 10 series that they have led 3-2, losing only to Toronto in
1978. In all 9 w’s, they clinched each series with a game 6 win per Eric
Hornick. It would be their first series
victory since 1993 and would also be the first time they have won consecutive
games in a playoff series since 2002. Motivation
shouldn’t have been a problem for our boys in Brooklyn. What a great accomplishment to win one at the
Barclays Center for the current group of guys.
John
Tavares has been huge in his leadership role for New York. I am sure he and the rest of the team knows
what they have a chance to do with a series clinching win tonight. "We're excited. For us it's just staying
in the moment & staying composed. We have a great opportunity tonight,"
Tavares said. Unfortunately, Ryan Strome
finds himself benched again. "I
certainly didn't see it coming. I'm not going to lie and say that I did."
The
1st period started with snarl and intensity.
Jokinen grabbed and held Hamonic’s stick and they exchanged pleasantries. Clutterbuck took a puck to the face and casually
goes off to be stitched up. The
Islanders came out dialed in, especially on defense but Florida was energized
as well and managed to block 11 shots and score a goal to take a 1-0 lead in
the last minute of the period. Isles led
in shots, 7-5, but fall behind again early.
Josh Bailey did not come out to start the 2nd period. Cal Clutterbuck was on the bench. Florida’s fore check was problematic for the
Islanders, especially while advancing the puck and caused way too many icings. That eventually led to difficulty clearing
their own zone and multiple turnovers committed in the second half of a lesser
middle period for New York.
Josh
Bailey was still missing to start the 3rd.
The Islanders came out slow again in the period, yet still generated a
few huge chances in close, but Roberto Luong was big each time. After an even worse second half of the period,
when all looked lost, the Islanders dug just a little deeper. With Thomas Greiss pulled, a scrum ensued in
front of Florida’s net and John Tavares (Kulemin & Leddy) stuffed in a loose
puck with Luongo on his stomach and the Islanders tied the score at 1-1 with 53
seconds remaining.
Regulation
would end with a need for OT for the third time this series. Shots were 32-30 New York in regulation with
the Panthers blocking an impressive 20 Isles shots on net. But the real reason Tavares scored was MaryBeth
had snuck back to our closet and rubbed my Tavares jersey asking him to score, and
he did. Take it to the bank.
In
overtime, The Islanders were on the attack, pounding the Panthers net with
several realyl good scoring chances, including another one by Quine. Greiss made a few big saves of his own. With 14 shots to the Panthers 7, the
Islanders called their timeout to get a breather with about 2:00 left in the 1st
OT, but they would need more time to decide a winner. Isles with a 15-8 edge in shots.
Game
6 required a second OT period for the second time in the series. It opened with a surge by Florida, but to me,
it showed the desperation by an older Florida team. With the Isles closing in, The Panthers were
relentless on defense, but with Luongo out of position, John Tavares scored the
wrap around GWG and propelled them to the 2nd round of the Stanley Cup
Playoffs vs. Tampa Bay. John Tavares, Thomas Griess
and Nick Leddy were named 3 stars. The fans in attendance were amazingly loud and supportive. The
Islanders out shot Florida 51-42 in the game.
Thomas
Greiss (41 of 42 with a .976Sv%) was spectacular with a quiet, but well-played
game in net for the Islanders. The only
goal he surrendered in regulation was a shot unintentionally screened by Leddy
early in the contest. He made a few big
saves in OT as well. John Tavares (Okposo
& Quine) came through once again (2 goals tonight, 9 points in 6 games) to force overtime
and keep his team alive in their hunt for the 2nd round and beyond. John Tavares is my Grail Knight of the game.
As
for my Grail Knight of the series, I’m going to split the award and name both, Thomas Greiss and John Tavares for the honor. They were both hugely responsible for guiding
their team the next level.
The winner of this game would be the team that was more desperate. Both teams had different challenges and were equally
driven, but for different reasons. The
Islanders had great difficulty dealing with Florida’s fore check and offensive zone
entry. Their eventual frustration gave
way to committing turnovers and an out-of-sync attack. Once again, the PP deserted them in what
seemed to be the worst of times. We all
saw the kind of officiating endured by both teams on the night, so we won’t
relive the misery here. But this year’s Islanders’
squad showed remarkable resilience and a will to come back in those games. Some accused them of not being motivated
enough from the start, while others (Me) called out the coaching. The rest pinned it
on the leadership from the ice. But more
than not, the Islanders and coaches came up huge when it mattered most and put themselves
into position. They did it again as a
team tonight and they will be playing in the 2nd round of the NHL Stanley Cup
Playoffs back in Florida against the Tampa Bay Lightning. It’s an unbelievable feeling
to have waited so long and now I can share the joy with all of my fellow
Islanders fans.
See
you soon with my KoC round 2 preview.
You heard me.
John Tavares, “"Last year we learned how hard it is to win a series. Now we want to keep this going."
Isles
Notes:
Josh
Bailey never returned to tonight’s game.
His status should be updated tomorrow.
The
Islanders boast a 32-14 (16-7 at home) with a .696 winning percentage in playoff
OT before tonight’s game.
Tonight’s
game was the longest Islanders home game (NVMC or Barclays) in franchise
history.
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