Lighthouse Hockey - New York Islanders vs. Washington Capitals Game 4: Capitals tie the series on Backstrom's OT winnerLighthouse Hockey: Try to fixate on something else.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/50729/lhh-fav.png2015-04-22T16:13:43-04:00http://www.lighthousehockey.com/rss/stream/82277402015-04-22T16:13:43-04:002015-04-22T16:13:43-04:00Wilson-Visnovsky hit divides players, fans
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<figcaption>I just don't know, man. | Bruce Bennett/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Clean or unclean, Game 4 between the Islanders and Capitals saw the "Hit Heard 'Round the Northeast Corridor."</p> <p>Confession: I have no hot takes to offer on the hit Tom Wilson laid on <span>Lubomir Visnovsky</span> in Game 4 of the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lighthousehockey.com/">Islanders</a>-<a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.japersrink.com/">Capitals</a> series.</p>
<p>I'm just not seeing red over a hit that was penalized and subsequently un-capitalized upon by the Islanders thanks to a woefully stagnant and ineffective post-season power play. Losing Visnovsky, the Islanders' <a target="_blank" href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2015/4/19/8454809/the-silver-fox">"Silver Fox"</a> who is an important part of both the offense and the locker room, is a huge blow to their chances of winning two of the next three games.</p>
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<p>But these are the playoffs and there must be heroes and villains. If you're an Islanders fan today, your view is probably that Wilson, who has the reputation of playing like a wild mustang out there, is a head hunter who targeted the smaller, older Visnovsky in order to remove him from the Islanders' arsenal. If you're a Caps fan, Wilson's hit could stand as an exhilarating turn of the series and just the snap Washington needed to reassert themselves.</p>
<p>Islanders fans want Wilson suspended for the hit. Caps fans want the .gif of it hanging in the Smithsonian.</p>
<p>The divide between the players is more or less along the same lines. In a story by the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capitals-insider/wp/2015/04/22/tom-wilson-discusses-big-hit-on-lubomir-visnovsky/">Washington Post's Alex Prewitt</a>, Wilson contended that the hit was clean and that he was "gliding in" to Visnovsky.</p>
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<p>"Obviously, the call was charging," he said. "I had the puck and kind of shot it on net, I don't think...maybe took one stride. I was gliding in, see it was a pretty big collision and the ref makes a call based on what he felt at the time. I look at it a couple times. I think everyone in the room felt it was fairly clean.</p>
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<p>Wilson's coach Barry Trotz also felt the hit was clean and was in-line with what the Islanders fourth line trio of <span>Matt Martin</span>, <span>Casey Cizikas</span> and <span>Cal Clutterbuck</span>, who have the reputations of playing like a herd of wild mustangs out there, have been doing to the Caps. Trotz meant the comparison as a compliment.</p>
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<p>"It was a hard, clean hit," he said. "He didn't leave his feet, he stayed low, puck's right there, all those things. Tom Wilson didn't do anything other than run him over. <span>Tom Wilson's</span> a lot bigger than their player and he hit him clean. It's really no different than like Martin or Clutterbuck or Cizikas, they're hitting hard and they're hitting clean."</p>
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<p>The Islanders minced no words about what they thought was a premeditated hit on a defenseless player. Their big beef was with the fact that Visnovsky had played the puck well before the hit and wasn't able to brace himself for Wilson's elbow making contact with his lowered head.</p>
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<p>Okposo on Tom Wilson: "He's an idiot."</p>
— Arthur Staple (@StapeNewsday) <a href="https://twitter.com/StapeNewsday/status/590709101488898049">April 22, 2015</a>
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<p>Hickey: (Wilson) went in to hurt our guy... (Lubo being hurt) makes me sick to my stomach." <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Isles?src=hash">#Isles</a></p>
— Stephen (@StephenCLorenzo) <a href="https://twitter.com/StephenCLorenzo/status/590906834095079425">April 22, 2015</a>
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<p>JT: The puck wasn't even close to Lubo, complete target of a defenseless player</p>
— Stephen (@StephenCLorenzo) <a href="https://twitter.com/StephenCLorenzo/status/590910100774199297">April 22, 2015</a>
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<p>Tavares is always diplomatic, you rarely hear him talk like that. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Isles?src=hash">#Isles</a> being so upset suggests Lubo won't be around</p>
— Stephen (@StephenCLorenzo) <a href="https://twitter.com/StephenCLorenzo/status/590910721896148992">April 22, 2015</a>
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<p>Adding fuel to the fire this morning was Capitals forward <span>Brooks Laich</span>, who was a guest on DC sports radio show, <a style="background-color: #ffffff;" href="http://washington.cbslocal.com/audio/the-sports-junkies/" target="_blank">"The Sports Junkies."</a> Laich seemed to split the difference between thinking the play was indeed a penalty and somehow advocating the targeted elimination of one of the opposing defensemen.</p>
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<p>Host: What was the one where he completely leveled the guy and they gave him charging.</p>
<p>Laich: Yup. He got a tripping before that, then a charging. Willy is really a big, strong guy. You guys should meet him in person just to see the size of this guy. Anything that he hits is gonna move. He just runs through people like they're not even there. That one is maybe a little questionable. Maybe the puck was a couple of feet away, but once that guy gets moving, look out. He's not gonna stop, he's gonna run right through you. Just a big, strong kid and I'm glad we've got that guy on our team.</p>
<p>Host: Do those kind of hits build momentum? They put you in a penalty kill situation, but do you somehow strangely build momentum from that?</p>
<p>Laich: Yeah, absolutely. We killed the penalty off, which is great, you want to do that. But those are the types of penalties that the killers will go out there on a mission to kill it. They'll say, 'absolutely, we'll kill that off.' And what it did was Visnovsky got knocked out of the game. That puts them down to five D, in the second tier, which, with the way we play with a heavy forecheck, a grinding forecheck, where we always finish our checks, five or six defensemen is tough enough, but playing with five it's even more difficult. So it's a quote-unquote 'good penalty to take.' It knocks them down to five defensemen. We kill the penalty off, we get momentum and we can really start to lean on those defensemen, those five guys left.</p>
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<h4>Now what?</h4>
<p>Wilson won't be hearing from the NHL's Department of Player Safety, per <a target="_blank" href="http://espn.go.com/new-york/nhl/story/_/id/12741945/new-york-islanders-upset-washington-capitals-hit-lubomir-visnovsky">ESPN's Katie Strang</a>, so you can expect to see him at Verizon Center for Game 5 on Thursday night.</p>
<p>Per the rules of engagement, the Caps won Game 4 on Nicklas Backstrom's overtime goal, so they get to smile and strut and Wilson gets to be the BMOC, while the Islanders stew about opportunities missed (mostly on penalties to Wilson) and contemplate various revenge scenarios on their flight to Reagan International.</p>
<p>But maybe the best look at both sides of the issue comes from a guy who knows a thing or two about hitting, Matt Martin. Again, via Strang:</p>
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<p>"Obviously, it's a fine line," Martin said after Tuesday's optional practice at Nassau Coliseum. "You see one of our guys go down like that and you get a little upset, but at the same time you have to realize there's a lot at stake."</p>
<p>Said Martin: "The most important thing is winning. You want to be physical, but at the same time you have to be disciplined."</p>
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<p>The series is tied at two games apiece. The best revenge for the Islanders would be taking a 3-2 lead back to Long Island.</p>
https://www.lighthousehockey.com/2015/4/22/8470133/wilson-visnovsky-hit-islanders-capitals-brooks-laich-matt-martinDan Saraceni2015-04-21T23:35:35-04:002015-04-21T23:35:35-04:00Okposo on Wilson: 'He's an idiot.'
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<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.japersrink.com/">Washington Capitals</a> forward <span>Tom Wilson</span> is a controversial figure with a specific role, much like that of the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lighthousehockey.com/">Islanders</a> fourth line: Go out and hit people, get them off their game. Wilson arguably crosses the line more often, but he's younger (and this is an Isles-centric site, after all). He missed Game 1 and immediately set out to make up for lost time over the next three games.</p>
<p>His early game chirping -- specifically threatening <span>Lubomir Visnovsky</span>, for example -- and second period hit to knock Visnovsky from the game didn't sit well with Islanders fans. Nor players.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p>Okposo on Tom Wilson: "He's an idiot."</p>
— Arthur Staple (@StapeNewsday) <a href="https://twitter.com/StapeNewsday/status/590709101488898049">April 22, 2015</a>
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<p><span>Kyle Okposo</span> on Tom Wilson "He's an Idiot" Hear more soon on <a href="https://twitter.com/WRHU_FM">@WRHU_FM</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Isles?src=hash">#Isles</a></p>
— Mark Weiner (@MarkWeiner_) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkWeiner_/status/590709618113904640">April 22, 2015</a>
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<p>For Isles fans, the series now has its villain. For Wilson, he's exactly where he wants to be.</p>
https://www.lighthousehockey.com/2015/4/21/8465813/kyle-okposo-says-tom-wilson-hes-an-idiotDominik2015-04-21T23:22:17-04:002015-04-21T23:22:17-04:00Someone hit Orpik in the head with a beer
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<p>Maybe it's just the ever-increasing coverage and cameras (and gifs) in this era, but it sure feels like sports fans are getting more, ah, "aggressive." Or entitled. After Game 3,<a target="_blank" href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2015/4/21/8464147/islanders-fan-steal-nassau-coliseum-seat"> stolen seats made news</a> (though apparently some of them may have been stolen from a prior non-hockey event.)</p>
<p>Now add <span>Brooks Orpik</span> getting a beer tossed at his head as the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.japersrink.com/">Capitals</a> celebrated their win in Game 4.</p>
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<p>GIF: Orpik gets a beer thrown at his head <a href="http://t.co/XJPepEIlU5">pic.twitter.com/XJPepEIlU5</a></p>
— Stephanie Vail (@myregularface) <a href="https://twitter.com/myregularface/status/590711445953892352">April 22, 2015</a>
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<p>Yeah, we know the tempting snarky response here: Orpik tries to injure people all the time! But it's "part of his job" and NHL players tacitly sign up for such abuse.</p>
<p>Abuse from other <strike>union brothers</strike> NHL players, that is. Not from fans. Act like a freaking adult.</p>
https://www.lighthousehockey.com/2015/4/21/8465753/brooks-orpik-beer-throw-islanders-capitalsDominik2015-04-21T23:04:20-04:002015-04-21T23:04:20-04:00WAS 2, NYI 1 (OT): Backstrom winner ties series
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<figcaption>New series. | Bruce Bennett/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The Isles power play misfires again, while another tight, low-scoring affair makes for a long series.</p> <p><span>Nicklas Backstrom</span> scored at 11:09 of overtime in Game 4 to push the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.japersrink.com/">Washington Capitals</a> to a 2-1 win that evened their series with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lighthousehockey.com/">New York Islanders</a> at two games apiece. It was the third straight game with a goal for Backstrom, who has unsurprisingly been the Capitals' most dangerous player.</p>
<p>Like most of this series, the game was deadlocked more often than not, but for the first time the Capitals scored first. The Islanders had a run of four consecutive power plays -- three of them in the second period -- that failed to produce a goal, a failure they would regret by the end of the night.</p>
<p>They also lost the frequently targeted <span>Lubomir Visnovsky</span> to a head injury halfway through regulation thanks to a penalized charge by <span>Tom Wilson</span>, an injury that could have lasting impact if it means Visnovsky misses games.</p>
<p align="center">[<a data-ref-index="15" href="http://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/en/boxscore?id=2014030144"> Box</a> | <a data-ref-index="16" href="http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20142015/GS030144.HTM" target="_blank">Game Sum</a> | <a data-ref-index="17" href="http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20142015/ES030144.HTM" target="_blank">Event Sum</a> | Fancy/Shifts: <a data-ref-index="18" target="_blank" href="http://war-on-ice.com/game1.html?seasongcode=2014201530144">War-on-Ice</a> - <a data-ref-index="19" href="http://naturalstattrick.com/game.php?season=20142015&game=30144" target="_blank">Natural Stat Trick </a> - <a data-ref-index="20" href="http://hockeystats.ca/game/2014030144" target="_blank">HockeyStats.ca</a><b> </b>|| Recaps: | <a data-ref-index="21" href="http://islanders.nhl.com/gamecenter/en/recap?id=2014030144&navid=DL%7CNYI%7Chome" target="_blank">Isles</a> | <a data-ref-index="22" href="http://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/en/recap?id=2014030144&navid=nhl:topheads" target="_blank">NHL</a> |</p>
<h5>Game Highlights</h5>
<p><iframe src="http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/embed?playlist=2014030144-X-h" frameborder="0" height="395" width="640"></iframe></p>
<p>In the first period the Capitals again absorbed lots of early Islanders pressure, with <span>Braden Holtby</span> freezing pucks at every opportunity. The Isles' attack increased with their first power play of the game, thanks to an <span>Alex Ovechkin</span> drive-by leg trip of <span>Nikolay Kulemin</span>.</p>
<p>Then the proverbial momentum shifted: Off an offensive zone faceoff win, <span>John Carlson</span> sent a puck to the net that Alex Ovechkin tipped in the high slot, through a screen for the first goal at 13:06 of the first.</p>
<p>But the Isles fourth line took advantage of an awkward change in the final minute to tie it at 1-1 with 13 seconds left in the first period. <span>Cal Clutterbuck</span> made a great cut to the high slot after gaining the blueline, and the rebound of his shot landed right on the stick of <span>Casey Cizikas</span>, who was driving the net.</p>
<h5>Target the Guy with the Concussion History</h5>
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<p>Between the goals, Ovechkin was allowed a free, four-step run to charge Lubomir Visnovsky from behind with no call. NHL playoff officiating: it's entirely random!</p>
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<p>I feel like I just saw two very illegal actions by Ovechkin and Ward but maybe it’s just too loud in here to know for sure.</p>
— Dave Lozo (@DaveLozo) <a href="https://twitter.com/DaveLozo/status/590668736404856832">April 22, 2015</a>
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<p>That wasn't the end of the attacks on Visnovsky, who along with fellow diminutive partner <span>Thomas Hickey</span> has been a target of Caps checks throughout the series. Visnovsky left the game after Wilson's hit left him woozy and drew blood from his nose. Wilson hadn't even hit the bench from his previous penalty, a kneeing against <span>Josh Bailey</span> after Bailey cut back after gaining the zone. This time Visnovsky had just played the puck, and Wilson continued driving through to deliver a shoulder into the face.</p>
<p>The officials had allowed things to escalate before that, with a series of behind-the-play infractions between the Isles fourth line and particularly going uncalled. Playoff hockey's line between barbaric cynicism and rule enforcement is always a blurry one.</p>
<h5>Power Play Failure</h5>
<p>But the Capitals killed off those two power plays and one more that came via <span>Mike Green</span> clearing the puck over the glass with Cal Clutterbuck in pursuit. The Capitals gave the Isles some golden chances to take the lead, then they yanked them away by giving the Isles no good shooting lanes through the interior.</p>
<p>Through four power plays the Isles had managed eight shots, but only a few of them dangerous. Holtby's brilliance and the inability to get clear looks on the inside appeared to get to their heads, as each power play appeared less effective. They simply didn't get shots with, or through traffic, and couldn't get open looks.</p>
<p>That left the fourth game of this close series tied at 1-1 heading into the third period. The Isles were juggling five defensemen, having lost one of their right-side mainstays in Visnovsky.</p>
<h5>Third Period Stalemate<br>
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<p>With the Isles getting four unanswered power plays, you knew they'd be due for a call the other way. The Capitals finally got their first and only power play 6:40 into the third period when <span>Anders Lee</span> held up and spun <span>Jay Beagle</span> on a rush.</p>
<p>The Caps had great puck movement, tiring the Isles penalty killers by working the puck down low and up high, but couldn't strike the crucial blow. Halak saved the day with an alert glove at the back door on <span>Marcus Johansson</span>, who was fed by a great fake shot by Ovechkin from Ovechkin's office.</p>
<p>Right as the power play was winding down, Cal Clutterbuck led a shorthanded two-on-one where he hit the post above Holtby's shoulder after Holtby's body got a piece of it. It was so close, Clutterbuck even thought he'd scored and raised his arms. Incredibly, on the rebound from the iron the Isles were exposed for a partial break the other way -- tired bodies changing -- but <span>Andre Burakovsky</span> sent his shot sailing high and wide.</p>
<p>After that, the Islanders had the better of chances, but it was nailbiting throughout, Ovechkin launching volleys from everywhere. With seven seconds left, <span>Ryan Strome</span> unleashed a wicked shot off the rush that Holtby had to jump at to stop with his shoulder.</p>
<p>Nothing doing on the ensuing faceoff, which the Caps won to finish the regulation clock. The Isles had outshot the Capitals 34-23 and out-attempted them 70-53 through three periods, but the failure to convert on four power plays meant it was off to overtime for the second consecutive game.</p>
<h5>Overtime: No Parise'd This Time</h5>
<p>Overtime was an increasingly fatigued and choppy affair. The ice had been rough all game, but now players were less able to contend with it. The Isles botched their best chances at creating pressure with bouncing pucks and offside infractions.</p>
<p>The Caps had the better of play in the first 10 minutes, and they stroke the final blow after an offensive faceoff following an icing. (There was an ice maintenance timeout, however, so it wasn't one of those "get 'em while they're tired" faceoffs.)</p>
<p>Backstrom was being pursued out of the corner by <span>John Tavares</span>, who'd lost his stick, when Backstrom's lofted shot found its way in between Boychuk and <span>Joel Ward</span> to end the game, and tie the series.</p>
<p>No repeat of the Parise-like early winner. No repeat of the Ferraro '93 double-OT show. This series is going long.</p>
https://www.lighthousehockey.com/2015/4/21/8464651/new-york-islanders-vs-washington-capitals-game-4-backstrom-overtimeDominik2015-04-21T15:56:00-04:002015-04-21T15:56:00-04:00So: How Loud WAS the Coliseum for Game 3?
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<figcaption>Any game that ends in a group-hug is a good game | Bruce Bennett/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>If you don’t think sound waves are real, forceful, honest-to-Frans physical things, then you’ve never had your eardrums ruptured at the Coliseum.</p> <p>I'll get to the noise.</p>
<p>But first, some science. Or maybe math? (Physics, probably?) Whatever. Science. This isn't a classroom setting, so it really doesn't matter what we call it. Anyway: let's talk <i>decibels</i>.</p>
<p>The <i>decibel</i> <i>(dB)</i> is defined as the unit that measures the intensity of a sound by comparing that sound with a given level on a logarithmic scale; it's commonly used in acoustics as a measure of sound pressure level. Here's the field version of the unit definition, because sound pressure is a field quantity (duh), and that's totally something you knew before you came to this page to read about what you thought would be hockey:</p>
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<p><b><i>L<sub>Ƥ </sub>= 20 log<sub>10 </sub>( Ƥ<sub>rms </sub>/ Ƥ<sub>ref </sub>) dB</i></b><i>, where <b>Ƥ<sub>ref</sub></b> is the standard reference sound pressure of 20 micropascals in air or 1 micropascal in water</i></p>
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<p>I don't know what any of those numbers/letters/words mean, but the whole thing is pretty official-looking and effects a level of scholarliness not often found in my posts. Which, to be honest, is the main reason it's there.</p>
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<div class="pullquote">You could just feel—after every hit—the crowd just roaring <span>-Boychuk</span>
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<p>It's also there to introduce the concept of how sound is measured, which is an important thing to consider when you're sitting with the assembled media at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum during the postseason, perched above 16,170 hockey fans, most whom weren't waiting until warmups ended before trying to destroy what little voice they had left.</p>
<p>This is known as a typical <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lighthousehockey.com/">New York Islanders</a> home playoff game. There's generally a high level of sound pressure in the building at these things, which means there are <i>a lot</i> of decibels.</p>
<p>Welcome to Long Island, indeed.</p>
<h3><b>Crank the volume up to 11. Stencil a '12' on the amp. Crank it up to 12. Now you're in the neighborhood.</b></h3>
<p>Not to hyperbolize, but Game 3 between the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.japersrink.com/">Washington Capitals</a> and the Islanders—a <a target="_blank" href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2015/4/19/8452689/new-york-islanders-washington-capitals-game-three">2-1 Isles overtime victory</a> thanks to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2015/4/19/8453437/john-tavares-scores-overtime-islanders-capitals-game-three">John Tavares's goal</a> at 0:15 of the extra period—might have earned its very own level on the decibel scale, well above the "Threshold of pain (~130dB)" category, and on par with the "Jet engine at 30m (~150dB)" category on most sample charts.</p>
<p><i>(Disclaimer: I'm not a scientist. Just a guy whose ears are still ringing from Sunday's game.)</i></p>
<p>The theoretical limit for an undistorted sound wave at one (1) atmospheric pressure is approximately 194dB, give or take, so there's an accepted limit to how loud a sound can physically be. (Thanks, Google!) But, if there are any physicists roaming the comments section, they might take issue with that, and point out that "actually, a distorted sound wave (shock wave) can have a sound pressure of >101,325Pa, which translates to a decibel level of >194dB. Maybe read a textbook once in your life LOLZ."</p>
<p>To which I'd reply: please don't tell the crowd at the Coliseum that. They don't need another reason to be loud; they have enough reasons already. Testing the sound barrier doesn't need to be one of them.</p>
<p>Not that the Islanders players would mind if Tuesday's Game 4 crowd tried to outdo the raw amount of sound that was generated on Sunday. Soaking in the noise when the fans are in full voice and rocking was the common theme among members of the home team in the dressing room after Game 3.</p>
<p>"It was awesome, it was extremely loud. In the first period, you could just feel—after every hit—the crowd just roaring," said <span>Johnny Boychuk</span>. "This is probably the loudest building I've ever played in."</p>
<p>The thing about how sound travels at the Coliseum is that it's like the ball from that Atari arcade game, Pong: it goes from the crowd, to the ceiling, right back to the crowd, and back to the ceiling again and again and again until you're not sure whether you're still cheering right this second or if that's just your shout from eight minutes ago being broadcast back to you courtesy of the barn's wonderfully 1972-era acoustics.</p>
<p>The place is woefully outdated and mostly concrete, which means a) the seats aren't the most comfortable (or, at times, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/hockey/islanders-fan-steals-seat-nassau-coliseum-article-1.2192909">intact</a>), and b) there's really nothing to absorb sound waves other than the fans themselves. And since the fans are the ones making all the noise, their noise-cancelling benefit is, um, not a thing.</p>
<p>To the assembled media, sitting below what could be described as the drop ceiling from your parents' basement if it were built on an industrial scale and were somehow much lower-slung, the crowd noise reverberates among the catwalks and Isles banners with a force that effectively renders talking to your seatmates pointless.</p>
<p>They can't hear you anyway.</p>
<h3><b>Stepping off the shuttle launchpad, slowly regaining your auditory faculties</b></h3>
<p>It wasn't that the crowd was roaring for the full 60-plus minutes of game time.</p>
<p>That doesn't happen, because that's impossible no matter who you are and where you're watching a game. The full effect of the Coliseum crowd was heard, rather, in <i>how forcefully</i> the fans voiced their approvals at every big hit, each timely save, and both of the Islanders' goals (especially Tavares's OT winner).</p>
<p>Still, the lulls in the crowd noise weren't so much "lulls" as they were reminders of how quickly and effectively the fans in blue and orange would punish the structure of your inner ear if and when something good happened for the Isles.</p>
<p>"I didn't think it could be any louder than when we played Pittsburgh [in the 2013 playoffs], but it was," Jack Capuano told the media after the game, while sitting in an improvised pressroom set up in a corner of the Coliseum's cavernous exhibition hall. "There was a lot of energy in the building."</p>
<p>The difference in venue for the postgame press conference—"Coliseum seating area full of rabid fans" vs. "cordoned-off section of exhibition hall with various media types"—provided stark relief for just how loud the Coliseum was after the final goal horn: here was Capuano, his voice amplified through two big speakers so reporters at the back of the area could hear him, asking more than once that a question be repeated more loudly. At one point, wireless microphones were distributed to the reporters so their questions would carry to the podium.</p>
<p>I'm not saying everyone in the room was having trouble hearing because they'd been subjected to (at times) jet turbine-level noise for the preceding few hours. I'm not <i>not</i> saying that, either.</p>
<p>In reality, the need for microphones was because the exhibition hall is massive, and because what essentially amounted to an open-air setting for a press conference wasn't the most acoustically efficient place for a question-and-answer session. But it's still fun to think about the crowd having one final impact on the game, even if that impact came after the score went final.</p>
<p>And to be fair: the echoes of celebratory chants from fans on the concourse <i>were</i> heard in the exhibition hall, because noise travels well at the Old Barn.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>There are a lot of decibels.</p>
https://www.lighthousehockey.com/2015/4/21/8463341/nassau-coliseum-noise-ny-islanders-washington-capitals-playoffsMichael Willhoft2015-04-21T15:00:02-04:002015-04-21T15:00:02-04:00Isles-Caps pre-Game 4: Turning point or stalemate
<figure>
<img alt="Encore, please." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wsAlCm-RyQunCkIZOXmr4CWu6n4=/0x174:1836x1398/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46176498/usa-today-8529604.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Encore, please. | Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Nervous? Yes.</p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lighthousehockey.com/">New York Islanders</a> are at home for Game 4 with a great chance to build a dangerous series lead over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.japersrink.com/">Washington Capitals</a>. But of course, the Capitals know that and will bring every effort to even this series, take back "home ice advantage" and make it a best-of-three heading back home.</p>
<p>It's a turning point that either creates separation or reinforces the closeness of two teams that finished the regular season with 101 points each, essentially split their season series, and have spent much of the first three games tied.</p>
<p>If you missed it in the early links, Garik16 had a <a target="_blank" href="https://islanderanalytics.wordpress.com/2015/04/21/postseason-thoughts-isles-2-caps-1-score-and-playoff-effects-and-this-series/">post musing about how teams behave in this situation</a>, when the extra incentive is there:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Arik Parnass (@arikparnass on twitter) suggested in a <a href="http://www.hockeyprospectus.com/parnass-playoff-series-score-effects-and-the-power-of-loss-aversion/">Hockey Prospectus article recently </a>(and his presentation at the DC Hockey Analytics Convention) that these effects also are felt in the playoffs based upon a team’s standing in a series – if a team is down in games, they act closer to if they’re down a goal in a hockey game and take more shots and if they’re up, they do the reverse.</p>
<p>I wonder if the Caps-Isles series has been a prime example of that – the Isles have dominated both games where the series was tied (games 1 and game 3), but were dominated themselves the game in which they had a 1-0 series lead (don’t let the score confuse you, that game was dominated by Washington).</p>
</blockquote>
<p>(In a way, it's a two-way street: Just minutes after his Game 3 OT winner, <span>John Tavares</span> was asked what to expect in the next game, and his response immediately acknowledged -- expected, really -- that the Capitals' effort would rebound in Game 4.)</p>
<p><b>Other variables heading into Game 4:</b></p>
<ul>
<li>The teams are in full "that's classified" mode. Jack Capuano at least <a href="http://islanders.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=764390">acknowledged Jaroslav Halak would be the starter </a>(no brainer) but said lineup was "to be determined." Everyone expects status quo there...</li>
<li>The Capitals won't acknowledge any decisions (but expect <span>Braden Holtby</span> again), other than acknowledging <span>Eric Fehr</span> is out at least the next two games after taking that crunching shoulder-to-shoulder hit from Kyle Okposo. If his replacement is <span>Andre Burakovsky</span> -- <a target="_blank" href="http://dumpnchase.monumentalnetwork.com/2015/04/21/burakovsky-set-for-playoff-debut">speculated but not confirmed</a> -- that adds some sneaky skill to the Caps lineup.</li>
<li>As noted yesterday and referenced above, the Capitals haven't led much in this series and in fact they've yet to score the first goal. That changes how they play, and if the Caps get the first goal and play old-time Trotzy hockey, we would be in for a new dimension added to the series.<br>
</li>
<li>So it will either be 3-1 or 2-2 after tonight. That changes the outlook afterward, but as anyone who has watched the Anaheim-Winnipeg series knows, even a 3-0 series lead can be deceiving.</li>
</ul>
<p>In other words, these two teams are close. They've been close most of the year. How they get to their victories, and their closeness (e.g. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2015/4/21/8460349/islanders-stanley-cup-game-three-stats-recap">Holtby keeping the Caps in Game 3</a>) is different, but each has shown they know how. On that note...</p>
<h5>The Cliches That Are True So What Else Can You Say?</h5>
<blockquote>
<p>It could be a turning point in the series. It’s either 2-2 or 3-1 and you’d rather be up 3-1 than go back [to D.C.] 2-2. It’s a crucial game for us and we have to be ready to do whatever it takes.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><span>Johnny Boychuk</span> has the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2015/4/16/8418541/nhl-playoffs-quotes-guide-cliche-book">quotebook</a> down.</p>
<p>And I'm nauseous. (Playoffs are supposed to be fun, aren't they?)</p>
<h5>Other Ways to Watch</h5>
<ul>
<li>
<a target="_blank" href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2015/4/21/8463289/tailgate-with-tomisles-starting-at-5pm-till-6-30-6-45">Tailgate with TomIsles</a> and friends.</li>
<li>Or watch <a target="_blank" href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2015/4/21/8461391/game-4-brooklyn-bar-watch-at-union-grounds">at the Union Grounds in Brooklyn</a>.</li>
<li>Or at <a target="_blank" href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2015/4/16/8438403/jack-russells-is-now-nycs-ues-islanders-bar">Jack Russell's on the Upper East Side</a>.<br>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Got others? Add in comments. People are always looking for more.</p>
<h5>FIG Picks</h5>
<p>Leave your <a target="_blank" href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2015/4/21/8463037/fig-picks-game-4-vs-capitals">First Islanders Goal picks here</a>. Don't, like, don't jinx anybody.</p>
https://www.lighthousehockey.com/2015/4/21/8463315/new-york-islanders-vs-washington-capitals-game-4-previewDominik2015-04-21T12:00:03-04:002015-04-21T12:00:03-04:00Cappy's Pregamer: Game 4 versus Capitals
<figure>
<img alt="Spider-Man: Threat or Menace?" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dHaVD7nCeXrM1WxL74X4dbsffRQ=/0x0:2306x1537/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46172808/CappyPreGamer.0.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Spider-Man: Threat or Menace?</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>High off their Game 3 OT victory, Cappy's focus is on spider killing strategies.</p> <p></p>
<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span><i>(Special for the playoffs, we highlight LHH community member Les Beaver's ongoing series of dramatic interpretations of what Jack Capuano's pre-game pep talks sound like.)</i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">* * *</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Cappy:</b> Ok boys, last game tonight.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Clutterbuck: </b>PLAYOFFS!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>KO: </b>GAME FOUR, BOYS! GAME FOUR! PLAYOFFS!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Dougie:</b> Not quite the last game, Jack.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Cappy: </b>You said four games. This is game four.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Dougie:</b> Well you have to win four games.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Cappy: </b>How many we win?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Dougie:</b> Two.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Cappy: </b>So like…6 more?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>deHaan:</b> For real?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Boychuck: </b>Jack – if you have six beers, and give me two, how many beers you have left?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Capuano: </b>Not enough! OOOHHHHHHHHHHHH!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Boychuk: </b>I walked right into that one. Dammit.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Capuano: </b>Speaking of<span> </span>- what the hell were you doing Sunday? How many did you put down in the parking lot? You were a mess out there. Loved that.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Boychuck: </b>Oh man, I don’t even know. But it wasn’t even the beers, of which there were – to use a higher mathematical term – a shit ton. It was whatever Mahty and Moulson gave me between the second and third. Man. Started kicking in towards the end of the period, I wasn’t planning on OT. But whatever it was, I’m out there, right, and then BAM – it kicks in, ya know? So I look up, I see Ovechkin coming at me, and he wears #8, so in my head I’m like, "Eight…eight…legs? Like a spider? HOLY SHIT THAT SPIDER IS HUGE AND HE’S COMING RIGHT AT ME!" So I’m like, "fuck that" and I hit the deck. I start swinging my stick trying to kill the giant spider – next thing I know, I wake up in my room, I put on NHL Tonight to see if we won or not, and there I am on TV, swinging my stick like a lunatic cause I think I’m going to be eaten by a spider and the guys on TV are like, "WHAT A PLAY BY BOYCHUK!" I just start dying laughing.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Cappy: </b>That, boys, THAT is a hockey story. Warriah.<span> </span>Loving that. That’s like Mahty level, Johnny. Unreal. If you was still on the Bruins, I’d say that’s probably the greatest hockey story evah.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Boychuk: </b>I know, I was thinking the same thing. Sucks, but whatever. Maybe in the future, when I’m old, I’ll change the timing to when I was on the Bruins.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Cappy:</b> Solid plan.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Joshy:</b> Was there really a giant spider, because I don’t want to go on the ice to play if there are going to be giant spiders because I’d be scared.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Frans:</b> Giant spiders – Like FLANS NEEBLER! I WILL SLAY HIM!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Lee:</b> I thought <a target="_blank" href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2014/11/26/7292289/islanders-gameday-news-pedan-mallet-trade-capuano-300-games-shootout-specialists?&_ga=1.41650474.900995863.1404780091#273683706">we figured out the Flans Neebler was a bug</a>?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Frans</b>: SEMANTICS!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Cappy: </b>Johnny – just to be sure, there was no spidah, right?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Boychuk: </b>Right. Just Ovi.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Joshy: </b>Is Ovi a spider?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Frans</b>: I WILL SLAY NUMBER EIGHT IF HE IS MY ARCH NEMESIS FLANS NEEBLER!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Cappy:</b> Yeah, you really slayed him on that goal he scored, pal.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Frans:</b> No one told me he was a giant spider man in hiding. I thought he was just a mortal, so I gave him his moment of glory. I knew we were to win, so what does it matter? But now, knowing he is a spider man, it will not happen again.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Joshy:</b> So he’s Spider-Man?….OVI IS SPIDER-MAN!!!!! SPIDER-MAN SPIDER-MAN DOES WHATEVER A SPIDER CAN!!!! I LOVE SPIDER-MAN!!!!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Cizikas:</b> Yeah, me too. I love Spider-Man…and the Flash. He’s awesome too.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Clutterbuck: </b>PLAYOFFS!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>KO: </b>GAME FOUR, BOYS! GAME FOUR! PLAYOFFS!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Dougie:</b> I always liked Aquaman. Never really understood it, I just did.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>JT:</b> Ahem.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Cappy:</b> You sick?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>JT:</b> No…<a target="_blank" href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2015/4/19/8451771/islanders-vs-capitals-stanley-cup-playoff-game-3-thread?&_ga=1.10617843.658793037.1404779899#300830080">but we had a deal that if I scored 15 seconds into overtime you’d mention it…</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Cappy:</b> Yeah, if you scored fifteen seconds in, I would. But you didn’t.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>JT: </b>Huh?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Cappy:</b> I counted to like….9 before you scored.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>JT:</b> 9 is before 15!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Cappy:</b> teen. Nineteen…that’s after 15…..Dougie?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Dougie</b>: It is.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>JT: </b>No NO! I scored fifteen seconds into Overtime and won us the goddamn game you piece of sh-</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Cappy:</b> OK, ok. Fair enough. Let’s all give Captain John some credit. He got his first goal of the playoffs, in the third game of the playoffs. That puts him in a tie with some huge names like Karl Azner, Macro Scandella and Andrej Sustr. Thanks for carrying us on your back there, John. Oh – and those guys all play D.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>JT: </b>Son of a ….</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Strome: </b>Getting back to the spiders….Is it true that all girls are scared of spiders?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Lee:</b> Probably not all, but I’d say it’s a common human emotion.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Strome: </b>So say I was to find the biggest spider in the world –</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Cappy:</b> <span class="st">Theraphosa blondi?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="st"><b>Strome:</b> Blondie?…oh god…be right – </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="st"><b>Cappy: </b>Worlds largest spider. Theraphosa blondi – you common folk probably call it a Goliath Birdeater, but that’s why I’m the coach and get half off parking.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="st"><b>Strome</b>: Oh…ok. Right. So say I get a giant birdeater spider. And say I ask whoever Shannon interviews to throw it on her. Do you think she’ll freak out and run down the hallway? And then I can wait in the hallway and then I can kill the spider. She’d think I was a hero, right?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Clutterbuck:</b> PLAYOFFS!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>KO:</b> GAME FOUR, BOYS! GAME FOUR! PLAYOFFS! LET'S WIN THIS ONE, BOYS! REALLY GET SOME MOMENTUM!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="st"><b>JT:</b> Well, Ryan, a better plan would be to score lots of goals and get that interview yourself.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="st"><b>Strome: </b>Oh…well, that’s a problem. I’m not really allowed to be within a certain distance of her….</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="st"><b>JT:</b> Why?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="st"><b>Strome: </b>Well…you know how like when you do interviews with her, and the camera shows you from like the chest up?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>JT:</b> Yes…</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Strome: </b>Well you know how in the part of you that the camera doesn’t show, like everything below the chest – you know how you probably wear pants when she interviews you?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>JT:</b> Yes…</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Strome</b>: Well, I kinda wasn’t.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Boychuk:</b> Awesome.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Cizikas:</b> Awesome.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>JT: </b>Why….not?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Strome: </b>Marty told me that it works most of the time.</p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Boychuk:</b> Little advice, kid: That never works.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Cappy:</b> Never.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>deHaan:</b> Not once.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Matt Martin:</b> It’s worked for me.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Kuleman:</b> I have had luck with this too.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Lubo</b>: Me too. It is my go to move, yes?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Joshy:</b> Works how?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Cappy: </b>No worries, Joshy. You just get out there and stop Spider-Man.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Joshy: </b>NEVER! SPIDER-MAN IS MY FRIEND!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>KO:</b> THAT’S NOT SPIDER-MAN OUT THERE, JOSHY! THAT’S HIS EVIL ALTER EGO: VENOM!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Joshy:</b> WHAT! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Clutterbuck: </b>PLAYOFFS!</p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>KO: </b>GAME FOUR, BOYS! GAME FOUR! PLAYOFFS! AND IT’S TOTALLY VENOM OUT THERE!</p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Joshy: </b>I WILL STOP HIM! DO DO DO DOOOOOOOO!!!!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Cappy: </b>Great, gameplan set. Stop Venom. In their net, outta ours. Let's do this.</p>
https://www.lighthousehockey.com/2015/4/21/8458901/cappy-pregamer-game-4-Islanders-capitalsLes Beaver