Islanders News: The wall, our backs are to it

The final was 5-2 (2 EN) but this was another one-goal game that did not go the Islanders’ way.

While their effort wasn’t as inspired as you’d have hoped down 0-2, they did well to come back from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits. A mistake by Robin Lehner in the third put them down again, and then the Hurricanes just smothered them the rest of the way.

It’s never done until someone wins four, but it’s hard to see how the Islanders win even one or two without a drastic change in performance or luck. The teams are just too close to picture a full reversal, especially with the Hurricanes having the edge in several areas.

This isn’t one of those years like the Kings’ 0-3 comeback on the Sharks where you could look at the underlying numbers and say, “Well maybe, if ever, could be now.” Did the Hurricanes get some bounces in the first two games? Yes. But the Islanders got bounces and posts last night in their favor and did not cash in. So now we’re 0-3.

Islanders-Hurricanes News

• They lost. [LHH | Newsday | Post | Isles | NHL | Canes Country | The Skinny]
• Robin Lehner couldn’t save them. [Newsday]
• The Hurricanes are getting by even though their power play has been even worse than the Islanders. [Canes Country]
• The loss underlines what the Islanders need to do this summer. [Athletic]
• Odd reminder that Johnny Boychuk is still out. [Post]
• Feels like Jon was foreshadowing with this spotlight on sloppy plays from Game 2, just like he spotlighted reasons Robin Lehner shouldn’t play the puck.
• Notes on Clutterbuck, that “gray area” impressive catch-and-release by Faulk, and more. [Post]
• In Nucks Misconduct’s fan bandwagon series, I had to make the case why not to root for the Hurricanes.
• On the “unseen hand,” Jacob DeGrom, and the Islanders. [Forbes]

Meanwhile...

• So glad Michael Fornabaio of the Connecticut Post posted this, an update he’d written on Aaron Ness but parked after Ness had that scary crash during Game 1 against Bridgeport. [Soundin’ Off]
• And he updated his annual Context For The Drought, which has now reached 16 years without a playoff series win. [Soundin’ Off]
• Here are this year’s Sound Tigers discussing their year. [BST | CT Post]

Elsewhere

• Last night’s other game went like this.
• Checking anxiety levels on the Jets contract issues. [Arctic Ice Hockey]
• Why the Rangers didn’t wait for Adam Fox to free himself 15 months from now. [Post]
• Oh look, how sweet, the Bruins hope to convince Brad Marchand to be less like @twolinepass himself. [NHL]
• R.I.P., Jason Botchford, and condolences to his family. I can’t say enough how much I enjoyed his approach to writing about (often bad) hockey — seriously, I’d seek out his Canucks coverage just because of his approach — and apparently he was very gracious to others. [Province | Canucks Army | Athletic]
• And this from two other good writers who knew him well: “Botch never said or wrote anything that he didn’t believe. He wasn’t just “playing a character” like some media types I’ve known.”]