Isles in 6.
Book it, bookmark it, etch it into a piece of granite and call it my headstone. The Islanders are not losing this series despite dropping the first two at home.
Barry Trotz teams thrive on the road, and quite frankly, they’ve outplayed the exhausted Carolina Hurricanes through Games 1 and 2. The road team’s rabbit foot can only work for so long, and they’ve won four straight games — only the first one in that streak, Game 6 back home to force Game 7 against the Capitals, was deserving of a win. The Islanders weren’t going to win more than four in a row? Fine, neither are they, even with their crowd behind them. They’re going to go in there and silence them for two games, and finish the job in the next two, just as Trotz’s Capitals did to the Blue Jackets last year after dropping one-goal Games 1 and 2 at home.
I don’t like to make declarations like this, you know me. I don’t like to make these bold statements for fear of being wrong. And there’s still that lingering Islanders Dread due to a lifetime of disappointment at the hands of this organization. But I like this team. I got a good feeling about this team. And they’re going to remind me why.
Islanders-Hurricanes: Round 2, Game 2
- Unfortunately, the Islanders were unable to capitalize on the injuries suffered by the Hurricanes — they lost defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk, goalie Petr Mrazek, and right wing Saku Maenalanen throughout the game. [LHH]
- Backup goalie Curtis McElhinney came in and stopped 17 shots and got some help from the crossbar and posts to not allow any goals against. [Stephenson @ Newsday | NHL]
- Matt Martin, his teammate with the Maple Leafs, knew the 36 year-old would be tough to beat, though. [Best @ Newsday]
- Two shifts in the beginning of the third period changed the entire outcome of the game, because That’s Hockey. [NHL | NY Post]
- As Barry Trotz said, “they had 48 seconds of pretty good hockey,” and “I think we played a pretty complete game.” [Gross @ Newsday]
- “That’s the cruel reality,” Trotz continued. “Sometimes you play really well and you don’t get the result.” The bounces simply haven’t gone the Islanders way the last two games. [Best @ Newsday]
- “So much depends on the capriciousness of a frozen puck.” [Times]
- Even the ‘Canes fan bloggers thought Carolina didn’t deserve this game. But, again, they’ll take it. Wouldn’t you? [Canes Country]
- Trotz said that Devon Toews’ disallowed goal toward the end of the second period “was the right call,” but had some slight criticism for how the rule is written. [Gross @ Newsday] | NY Post]
- Robin Lehner knows the series is far from over. “We were the better team today,” he said. [Herrmann @ Newsday]
- Arthur Staple is right, though: frustration has to be mounting in a series like this. It definitely is for us fans. To control the game in pretty much every aspect and lose on two shifts sucks. [The Athletic]
- Larry Brooks flipped the conversation on its head and said they haven’t been good enough. And hey, they gotta score more, undoubtedly, but to say they haven’t played well is a crock of shit. [NY Post]
- This is the first time in Islander history that they’ve opened a series at home and lost both games, so there’s a first time for everything. [NYI Skinny]
- Not Islanders-Hurricanes, exactly, but now that the Sound Tigers’ season is over, the Islanders might be getting some reinforcements. [Soundin’ Off]
- VIDEO: The players and coach discuss Game 2. [Newsday]
Trotz’s full post-gamer here. [Islanders VIDEO]
"We know things are going to happen, we just have to respond to it. And I thought we did. We had a lot of chances, but the cruel reality sometimes is you play really well and don’t get the result. But you just stick to the process.” -Barry Trotz #Isles pic.twitter.com/CdPbThskjC
— x - New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) April 28, 2019
Elsewhere
There was one other playoff game last night, Game 2 between the Avalanche and the Sharks. The Sharks had the early lead, but the Avalanche tied it and then took and added to their lead to make it 3-1 halfway through the third. Brent Burns got one back for San Jose, but Colorado hit an empty net to put it out of reach at 4-2. The Sharks did end up popping another one after that to make the final score 4-3 but the Avalanche did even the series at 1-1.
- The Hart Trophy finalists were unveiled, and it’s the usual suspects: Sidney Crosby, Nikita Kucherov, and Connor McDavid. [NHL]
- That damned cannon the Blue Jackets have is part of their home-ice advantage, to a degree. [Boston Herald]
- Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy and Blue Jackets assistant coach (and one-time Islanders interim coach) Brad Shaw are friends going back to junior hockey in 1982. [NHL]