Islanders visit Boston for a nooner
by Dominik on Nov 28, 2008 1:12 AM EST
in New York Islanders Previews
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New York Islanders (9-11-2) at Boston Bruins (14-4-4)
12 noon EST | [finance or some such] Garden | MSG+
The Bruins were not kind to the Islanders last season, with the B’s taking 3 of 4 and the Isles mustering all of 5 goals in those four meetings. This year, the Bruins have Patrice Bergeron back, Milan Lucic is one step closer to becoming some form of Cam Neely Light, and David Krejci is providing another bit of serious young skill to the Bruin lineup. It’s either that, or Boston pro sports’ peer pressure, that is moving the Bruins to lead the Wales Eastern Conference for much of this season thus far. Tim Thomas playing to his ceiling doesn’t hurt, either.
Today, the Bruins debut what is unfortunately being consistently referred to as a "uniform system." Just roll over and die, RBK ("Vowels not included."). Please. Despite R(ee)B(o)K's best efforts, the Bruins third jersey – another retro turn – looks nice. The Bruins lost to the struggling Sabres Wednesday, as Sabres blog Die by the Blade discussed in detail.
Should be interesting to see how the Islanders respond after yet another blown third-period lead against the Pens. Scott Gordon ran them through hard drills and described, like a broken record, where things went awry:
"It comes down to, for two periods, we were in the right places against their breakout and we were able to establish forechecks. In the third period, we weren't in the right places. As a result, they had easy breakouts, which throws off our forecheck. … Malkin and Crosby don't get those opportunities as cleanly and with speed if we're doing the right things in the offensive zone. … We have places we have to get to, and if we get there and it fails, there's a defense mechanism in place to back it up. When we don't go to the right spots, a non-skill play beats us. That's what happened."
Mitch Fritz has gone back down to Bridgeport, as center/winger Nate Thompson – a vet for Gordon’s system – is back from injury. Kyle Okposo is not yet expected to play. Joey MacDonald is looking at 13 starts in a row. This is the last game before Young Josh Bailey becomes NHLer for life.
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1979-80
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May 24, 1980: Tonelli to Nystrom. At long last, the steady build of the New York Islanders from expansion doormat to surprise semifinalist to annual contender reaches the promised land: Buoyed by a late season trade for Butch Goring that gave the team the depth up the middle GM Bill Torrey had been seeking, the Islanders knock off the Philadelphia Flyers in six games.
The victory justified the faith in coach Al Arbour who guided them from their second season to their first Stanley Cup seven seasons later. The Islanders would not be the first expansion team to win the Stanley Cup, but they would be the only one capable of a dynasty.
1980-81
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May 21, 1981: This time it was much easier. After falling to "only" 91 points in the 1979-80 season, the Islanders returned to their division title tradition, piling up 110 points -- a whole 13 points over second-place Philadelphia.
Between the quarterfinals (where they beat the upstart Oilers in six games) and the finals, the Islanders reeled off eight consecutive wins -- with a four-game sweep of archrival Rangers in between. As they defeated the Minnesota North Stars in five games for their second Cup, their goal difference in the final was a combined +10.
1981-82
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May 16, 1982: Another year, another landslide title. The Islanders won the Patrick Division by a whopping 26 points over the second-place Rangers, and were seven points clear of their nearest competition for the President's Trophy, the still-not-quite-ripe Edmonton Oilers.
A first-round scare against the Pittsburgh Penguins turned in the Isles' favor thanks to John Tonelli's heroics, and a true dynasty was on its way: Past the Rangers in six games, then an eight-game sweep of the Quebec Nordiques and Vancouver Canucks to run away with the Stanley Cup.
1982-83
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May 17, 1983: Not so fast, whipper-snappers. The Edmonton Oilers' steadily rising challenge for league supremacy took them all the way to the finals for the first time, where the New York Islanders summarily dispatched them in a four-game sweep. For the Islanders, the Dynasty was secured. For the Oilers, it was a powerful lesson in where talent ends and the demands of playoff hockey begin.
Four years, four Cups, 16 consecutive playoff series wins (a record that would grow to 19 until the rematch with the Oilers the following year). Mike Bossy scored 60 goals yet again, and Wayne Gretzky became acquainted with Billy Smith's crease.
