Until We Meet Again

Monday was not any other day.  It would be a day that would end either in exhilaration and happiness or bitter disappointment and sadness.  There was no in-between.  There was a tomorrow if you won and no tomorrow if you lost.  There would either be more work ahead or there would be a long vacation to plan.  

It was final and deciding game of the Stanley Cup playoffs between the New York Islanders and the Washington Capitals at the Verizon Center in the nation's capital.  Would there be another hockey game at the Nassau Veterans Coliseum?  The Islanders held that fate in their very hands.

The Islanders came into the game off of a gritty win that they had to have to keep the series going.  Their backs were against the wall and they responded.  It remained to be seen how the Capitals would counter, faced with same potential fate.  

Maybe facing elimination in the previous game prepares a team for what is to come in the final and deciding game of a series.  After all, there were six Game 7s in last season's playoffs. The road team won five of them and four of those teams won the sixth game as well.

For the team from Long Island it would be a tall order.  The Islanders were still hurting on the blue line.  The Capitals did not take advantage of Donovan and Mayfield, the Islanders two novice defensemen with no playoff experience, last Saturday when they were out on the ice.  Was it because they failed to do so or was it due to the fact that those two youngsters played above expectations?  We would find out on Monday.  

For the Islanders to win the final game of the series and to advance they would have to do a number of things.  They would have to convert on the power play, stay out of the penalty box, provide some traffic in front of the net, and give their own goaltender a good view of the opposition so that he could stop the puck.

They had to play an aggressive game but at the same time control their emotions.  Remember, it was just another hockey game.  Hit everything in sight and score some goals.  Sounded simple enough.  Now all they had to do was go out and win one more damn hockey game.

Everything remained the same for this game.  I positioned my chair in the same spot, wore the same hoodie and hat, and performed the same pre-game rituals.  The Islanders did the same as well as they went with the same exact forwards and defensemen backstopped by Jaroslav Halak in net.  

The Islanders survived the initial Capitals push in the first ten minutes and it turned into a what seemed like a regular playoff hockey game.  Most of the play in the first period was in the Islanders zone, but they did have a couple of good opportunities to score.  There were no penalties and no goals in the period, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing.  The Islanders were playing on the road and part of the challenge was to get past the initial surge and also to somehow take the crowd out of it a little bit.  Mission accomplished in the first.

By the end of the second period it was clear the the Capitals were the better team.  They outshot the Islanders 21-7 through two periods and dictated the play.  It was just a matter of time before the Capitals broke through with a dirty goal.  Right before the end of the period, Brooks Orpik's shot was stopped by Halak, but Joel Ward knocked in a rebound under the goal pads with a little over a minute left.  It was very important for the Islanders to score the first goal and they failed to do so.  Washington was up 1-0.

The Islanders could not generate that many scoring opportunities.  Halak stood on his head and if it was not for his stellar play the game would have already been over.  With such little offense it seemed that the game was just about over.  The referees apparently swallowed their whistle for the game and ignored numerous boarding calls by the Capitals.  That combined with the lack of shots on goal was a bad sign.  The only hope was that Braden Holtby would fall asleep and the Islanders would catch him napping in the third. Going into the final frame it appeared that bitter disappointment was about to be served. 

It was very tense to start the third period.  As bad as the Islanders had played all they needed was one bounce and the game would be tied.  That is what exactly happened.  Frans Nielsen was in the slot and even though he was in-between a couple of sticks, he was able to fire the puck low towards the net and it skidded through Braden Holby's five hole to tie the game at one apiece.

The Islanders had new life, however there was still no offense to be had.  I was starting to wonder how they were ever going to score a goal.  The Capitals continued to apply the pressure and eventually wore the Islanders down.  Evgeny Kuznetsov got to the front of the Islanders net and simply waited out Halak to make the first move and he had an easy time just flopping the puck into the net to give the Capitals the lead at 2-1.

As time wound down in the third, John Carlson got called for a two minute roughing call with just a couple of minutes left.  It was the first penalty of the game.  It was a gift that eventually would be returned as defective.  The Islanders did not pull Halak to get a six on four advantage.  Instead, Capuano's powerless play just fizzled and the game and the season eventually ended the the aforementioned bitter disappointment and sadness.

The Washington Capitals definitely deserved to win this game.  They were the fresher team by a long shot. They dominated play in their offensive zone.  The Islanders only amassed 11 shots for the entire game with 8 of those from defensemen.  That meant only three shots were taken by 12 forwards for the entire game.  Combine that with a powerless play that failed to do anything and it is easy to see why they lost.

The Islanders were 0-14 with the man advantage throughout the series.  It is true that losing three defensemen hurt their chances, but the lack of a power play was probably the real reason.  If they had converted on just one of the four power plays that they had in Game#4 they would have had a 3-1 lead with a chance to close out the series at home.  Also, if they had simply gotten one more point during the last week of the season they would have played the final game at the Nassau Coliseum.  It is funny how things work out sometimes.

It was a very upsetting experience to see such a promising season end so abruptly.  There will be no more hockey at the Nassau Coliseum.  That is the hardest part to swallow.  The Coliseum is part of my youth, part of my heart and soul, and part of who I am.  It means so much to me personally, more than anyone will ever know.  That the Islanders will not play there again in front of their fans is very depressing.  This one will take a long time to get over.

Next season in Brooklyn will not be the same.  It is not their home.  The Nassau Coliseum is their home.  It has been for 43 years and will always be.  It is hard to believe that the only reason that the Islanders were forced to leave was due to the greed of local politicians that care more about lining their own pockets and implementing their own ideology than caring for what rightly belongs to the people of  Nassau County.

The Islanders are the very essence of Long Island.  They belong in Nassau County.  This is their home and it will be again some day in the future.  I have to believe that, because it is the only thing that will keep me going.  The alternative is just too hard to accept.  There is a piece of my heart that was ripped out last night.  However, the hole that is there will remain because it is reserved only for the Islanders.

So for the New York Islanders and the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum it is now unfortunately the end...that is until we meet again.  Long live the Islanders organization.  No matter where your travels take you, always remember that your true and one and only home will always be there waiting for you.

The Barn Doors Remain Open

It was Saturday April 25th, 2015.  It was Game#6 of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  It was the New York Islanders vs. the Washington Capitals.  However, there is one thing that it was not.  It was not going to be the last hockey game in the Nassau Coliseum.  It just couldn't be.  

Leading up to the game many a journalist asked the Islanders about finding themselves in a do or die situation.  They had to win to advance, but everyone wanted to know if there was added pressure because it could have been the last game in the Nassau Coliseum.  It must have been hard for the players to not rip the throat out of every person that asked that very same question.  

The fact is that the Islanders played this game for their playoff lives.  They wanted to continue the dream of the Stanley Cup.  The building called "Fort Neverlose" was not going to add any more pressure.  In fact, all it did was add a bit of urgency to the task at hand.  It was a sub-conscious motivator that the team could use to their advantage.  This was no time for a eulogy.  This was a time to go out and win a damn hockey game.

The Islanders were battered and bruised.  They lost Travis Hamonic, their best shutdown defenseman earlier in the series.  Then they lost Lubomir Visnovsky due to a vicious, targeted, and intentional hit from Tom Wilson, and then they lost Calvin deHaan on another borderline hit that landed him squarely on his twice surgically repaired shoulder.  Into the line-up came Matt Donovan, who was a healthy scratch for most of the year, and Scott Mayfield, who had a grand total of five NHL team.  It was not going to be easy.  But it was going to get done.

As expected, the Islanders came out hitting everything that moved. It was an electric atmosphere.  It was important for the Islanders to get on the board first and that is what they did.  John Tavares came across the blue line and made his way to the slot.  He fired up past Braden Holtby for a 1-0 lead. It was the Captain's 2nd goal of the playoffs. Ryan Strome and Nick Leddy had the assists. 

The Islanders played well during the period, but all of a sudden penalties started to get the best of them.  That is not what you want to do when you're going against the NHL's  best power play. The Islanders did a good job killing off the first two power plays with Jaroslav Halak coming up very big.  However the last penalty, which occurred when John Tavares got called for a weak slash, gave the Capitals a man advantage with about half a minute at the end of the period. 

A long outlet pass with about five seconds left found the stick of John Carlson who fired a puck on net.  It looked like it deflected off something in front of Halak and into the goal to tie the game at  one apiece.  Overall, the Islanders played very well during the period.  However, they played with fire by committing three straight penalties.  The Capitals outshot the Isles 16-9 thanks to three power plays. The Islanders out hit the Capitals 25–12 thanks to the adrenaline created from being in an elimination game.

The second period was scoreless, but still included plenty of hitting.  The Islanders did get a powerless play opportunity, but could not keep the puck in the Washington zone long enough to get set up.  It is almost to the point now where the only thing to look forward to when there is a powerless play is that two minutes are taken off of the game clock.  I have theory that the Islanders are just waiting for a real big moment in this series, so that they can break out and start making the Capitals pay for their indiscretions.

At the end of the period, Matt Donovan got called for a ten minute misconduct for doing absolutely nothing.  It was a curious call.  After the game Donovan said that he never got an explanation as to why he was sent off the ice.  That would put the Islanders down a defenseman for a good part of the third period for the third straight game.  Hate to say it, but the referees were having a direct impact on the game.  Shots were all even after two periods, however the Islanders still had a huge advantage in hits 38–22.

As the third period started, the realization started to hit that one bad bounce and the season would be over.  The Islanders came out hitting everything once again.  As the mid-point of the period passed, it felt like the tension was at its highest level.  There was a huge scrum that involved four players by the bench.  The referees did not stop play and John Tavares did not give up.  

Tavares grabbed the puck and chipped it into the Washington zone.  As he followed the puck into the corner, he was checked hard by Alexander Ovechkin  Tavares slumped to the ice and it looked like he was hurt.  The puck squirted free and was corralled by Nick Leddy who fed Nickolay Kulemin in front of Holtby.  Kulemin was able to navigate the puck around Holby for the 2-1 lead.

With the lead in hand, the Islanders maintained the pressure.  The Capitals nearly tied the game on a couple of occasions.  Then with a little less than two minutes left the Capitals pulled Holtby and Cal Clutterbuck iced the 3-1 win with an empty net goal.  It was Clutterbuck's 2nd goal of the playoffs assisted by Johnny Boychuk.  As the final horn sounded, there was a huge scrum in the Islanders zone as the Capitals fired a late shot in on Halak.  The bad blood between these teams will have to wait to Game#7 on Monday.

The Islanders played a great game.  They had energy and a ton of scoring chances.  All four lines produced, but the one player that really stood out was Mikhail Grabovski.  He was fast, made plays, and created a lot of offense with his buddy Kulemin.  The young defensemen, Donovan and Mayfield, played extremely well and did not make any glaring mistakes even though they only saw about ten minutes of ice time each.  Halak ended up making 38 saves and seemed to be in control throughout.

Now it is on to Game#7 on Monday night at the Verizon Center.  The crowd will be a factor, but in a "win or go home" game it might not make too much of a difference.  Each team has won on the road.  The Islanders will need to come out with another great effort at the drop of the puck and it will be imperative to get on the board first.  Maybe, dare I say, they will even finally get a power play goal.  At some point you would think that the odds would be in their favor to do just that.

This could have been the final game of the season, but it wasn't.  The Islanders could have given up, but they didn't. The barn doors could have been closed forever, but they weren't.  This team wants to play in the Nassau Coliseum again and they want to stay in this thing.  Now all they need to do Monday is go win another damn hockey game.  

Wake Up Call

Now things are getting all serious and interesting at the same time.  The Islanders traveled back to Washington to take on the Capitals in a critical Game#5 of the series.  After not getting any help from Mr. Rainbow on Tuesday night, the Islanders planned to take things into their own hands on Thursday night in the nation's capital.

The big hubbub the last couple of days was the hit that Tom Wilson laid on Lubomir Visnovsky at the Nassau Coliseum.  Apparently, Barry Trotz, the Capitals Head Coach, asked his team to focus on Visnovsky at the start of the series.  Lubo was hit numerous times by the Capitals until he eventually got steam-rolled by Tom Wilson in Game#4.  

The fact that Wilson was only twenty seconds removed from the penalty box when he ran over Visnovsky and that he hit him very high was telling.  In fact, Brooks Laich was quoted as saying that "it was a good penalty to take" because it reduced the number of Islanders defensemen to five for the rest of the game.  What other proof does the NHL need to see that the Capitals not only targeted Visnovsky, but also specifically targeted his head?

The Islanders were not happy about what transpired.  As much as they wanted to take revenge on Tom Wilson, they had to be careful.  If they ran around the rink looking for that one hit to make amends, it could very easily have distracted them from the important task at hand.  The best revenge would be for the Islanders to send this team home after the first round.

As far as the line-up went, Mikhail Grabovski made his return from his own concussion after a couple of months.  It was going to be interesting to see how much Grabovski could offer his team.  It is one thing to come back after a couple of months off, however, it is clearly another thing to come back and make your return in the playoffs.  He was paired with his buddy Nickolay Kulemin and Ryan Strome.  Kyle Okposo was bumped back up to the top line to play with Bailey.

As far as Visnovsky's replacement went it looked to be a toss-up between Griffin Reinhart and Ryan Pulock.  After the pre-game skate the coaches opted for Reinhart whom they paired with Thomas Hickey.  Reinhart has played some big games in junior hockey and has won a championship so hopefully that experience would be one that he could lean on in the game.  

The Islanders got to the Verizon Center late all because of a presidential motorcade.  It remained to be seen if that would have any affect on their pre-game preparation.  The game did start on time and the first period was fast and furious.  The Verizon Center crowd was louder than normal.  I guess someone sent the Washington faithful an email that the playoffs had started.  

As expected, the Islanders were back on their heels at the start and just tried to weather the storm for the first few minutes.  Griffen Reinhart looked a little shaky at first, but made a few could plays before the period closed.  Grabovski showed good speed but was a bit rusty with his shot.

The first turning point came when Anders Lee stepped up for the Islanders and challenged Tom Wilson to a fight.  Lee got in two strong rights before Tom Wilson rallied with some blows.  Anders then wrestled Wilson to the ice.  Good to see Lee sticking up for his teammate.  That seemed to energize the Islanders as it only took another thirty seconds for them to tally the first goal.  

John Tavares did some yeoman's work behind the net as he fell down a couple of times before having the presence of mind to feed Nick Leddy who quickly found Josh Bailey in the slot for the first goal of the game.  It was Bailey's 2nd goal of the playoffs.  It was critical to get on the board first.  

However, the lead did not last long as a couple of minutes later the Capitals were able to draw even off of a face-off.  Evgeny Kuznetsov was able to knock in the puck out of midair behind Jaroslav Halak.  Really could not fault Jaro for that one.  For the period the shots were pretty even with Washington having a slight 10-8 lead, but the Islanders had a big edge in hits 31-18. 

The second period was not a good one for the Islanders.  Washington started to pepper Halak who made a number of good saves to keep the game close.  However, the Capitals were able to take the lead when Troy Brouwer, after being stopped by Halak, wrestled the puck away from him without a whistle.  Brouwer then was able to get it to Karl Alzner who had a wide open goal for a 2-1 lead.  On the play it did look like Halak had covered the puck for a second but the referees did not stop play. 

The Islanders got the first power play opportunity when Kuznetsov high-sticked Nick Leddy, but there was nothing doing for the ensuing two minutes as the Capitals were able to clear the zone multiple times.  That improved the New York powerless play to an impressive 0-11 for the series.  Not sure how you win a series without a power play goal.  

During the second period, Washington dominated the shots 18-8 and had a distinct advantage in zone time.  The Capitals also out hit the Islanders during the period 22-8. Dominant period by Washington on all accounts.  It was not a good sign of things to come.

The Capitals started the third period on their first power play thanks to a tripping penalty by Halak on Alexander Ovechkin right at the end of the middle frame.  After killing off the penalty, Calvin deHaan left the game after taking a hit which reduced the Islanders once again to five defensemen for the second game in a row.  That is when all hell broke loose.  

The Capitals scored three straight goals by Chimera, Kuznetsov, and Laich to take a commanding 5-1 lead.  Halak was pulled in favor or Neuvirth and the Islanders basically gave up and starting preparing for Game#6 at the Nassau Coliseum on Saturday.  But before the game was over the Islanders left their fans a little present as they failed on their 12th power play of the series.  Its such an awesome feeling when they don't score, said no one,

So now it is do or die.  I have to believe the Islanders will win on Saturday and force a seventh game.  But there has to be some concern about the health of their defensemen as well as the lack of goal scoring.  That is three straight games of a single goal in regulation time.  The Islanders need a strong effort at home in what could be the last game at the Nassau Coliseum.

Is this how it is going to end? Another disappointing first round loss?  Two years ago the Islanders were just happy to be in the playoffs against the Penguins.  This year was different.  The Islanders dominated for the first half of the regular season and showed so much promise.  Now the opportunity in front of them seems to be fading slowly away.

Its not the end, but when you can see the end off in the distance it is not a very good sign.  Its also not a very good feeling.  There are only two ways to react.  You either give up and go home or embrace the challenge and move on.  Hopefully the Islanders will see what is staring them straight in the face and wake up before it is too late.

Thanks for Nothing...Rainbow

The Washington Capitals were back at the barn on Tuesday night in Game#4 of the series. Every game at this time of the year is pivotal, but some games have higher stakes than others. An Islanders win and they would go up 3-1 forcing the Capitals to sweep the remaining three games to advance. A Capitals win would even the series and give them back home ice advantage and reduce the series to a best of three.

Earlier in the day a number of people posted a great photo of a near perfect rainbow over the Nassau Coliseum. It certainly looked like some sort of sign. Then later on in the day, I saw a national story about a quadruple rainbow over Glen Cove, which is a stone's throw away from the Coliseum. Four rainbows? Could that have been a reference to the Islanders four Stanley Cups? 

At the start of the game, the sold out crowd seemed to be every bit as loud as the crowd on Sunday. The fourth line was hitting every thing in sight and the Islanders got some early pucks on Braden Holtby. The Islanders got a power play chance when Alexander Ovechkin got caught tripping Nickolay Kulemin. After the man advantage was over, the Capitals moved the puck into the Islanders zone and after a Carlson slap shot, Ovechkin used his stick to deflect it past Jaroslav Halak for a 1-0 lead with seven minutes left in the period. Halak was screened on the shot and never saw it.

As time was winding down in the first period, I was just hoping that the Islanders would not let in a last second goal and dig themselves a hole. However, just the opposite happened. With thirteen seconds left, Cal Clutterbuck made a nice move into the slot and fired a shot on Holtby that he turned aside. Casey Czikas was there to knock in the rebound to tie the game at one apiece. It was Casey's first goal of the playoffs. Nick Leddy got the second assist.

In the second period, the Capitals started a march towards the penalty box. After Tom Wilson got called for kneeing, he bolted out of the penalty box and ran over Lubomir Visnovky behind the Islander net for his second straight penalty. Poor Lubo was down on the ice for a few minutes and then had to go back to the locker room to get tested for a possible concussion. That's made it two games in a row that Visnovsky was laid out on a borderline hit. He would not return.

New York got a fourth opportunity on the powerless play when Mike Green heard some Clutterbuck footsteps and launched a puck into the crowd for a delay of game penalty. Four penalties. four penalty kills, and four rainbows. Was there some sort of connection? That may not have been a good sign and the hope was that it would not come back to haunt the Islanders in the third period. 

Both teams traded opportunities as the shifts got shorter. Then with about six minutes left the Capitals got their first power play opportunity when Anders Lee got called for holding. The Capitals had a great chance when Johansson was all alone on the doorstep, only to have Halak snatch the puck out of mid air. As the Islanders darted down to the other end of the ice, Cal Clutterbuck almost got a shorty but hit the cross bar. After sixty minutes this one would be decided by overtime.

Sunday's overtime ended so quick there was no time to be nervous. This one would last a little longer. Overtime is exciting when you don't have a horse in the race. When your team is involved it is downright nerve-wracking. One bad bounce or bad break and the game is over. For the Islanders it was another broken stick that gave the Capitals the puck. Niklas Backstrom rifled it past Halak to win the game 2-1 at the eleven minute mark.

As much as I would like to blame the broken stick or the hit on Visnovsky, the truth is that the Islanders squandered four straight power plays in the first two periods. Instead of having a cushion they went into the third period in a 1-1 game. Now the series is tied at two games apiece and the Capitals have home ice advantage once again. That means the Islanders need to win at least one more game in the nation's capital.

These are two evenly matched teams. It looks like the series will most likely go seven games. The Stanley Cup Playoffs are a grind and there is no easy pass to go straight to the finals. It takes a lot of hard work and a little bit of luck to advance. The Islanders needed some luck tonight, but never got it. 

I was so sure that the rainbow that was spotted hovering over the Nassau Coliseum earlier today was a good sign of things to come, but alas it was not. Rainbows are a reminder and a promise that all good things come from above. Not on this night. Not in this barn. Thanks for nothing…rainbow.

Sweet Dreams Ovi

The Washington Capitals traveled to Long Island for Game#3 against the New York Islanders on Sunday afternoon.  The series is tied 1-1, but you could have made a strong case that if it was not for a couple of broken sticks that the Islanders could easily have been up 2-0.

On Saturday, Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin made an interesting comment that, "the Coliseum will be loud, but I don't think it will be as loud as the Verizon Center."  Now lets be honest here.  The Verizon Center was so quiet during the first game that you could hear a pin drop.  It did not sound any different than a regular home game.  The second game was the same until the Capitals scored late.  There  was no comparison between the two arenas.  Boy was Ovechkin in for a surprise.  The Islander fans took that on as a challenge and made sure that the building was extra loud.  Ovechkin heard every one of them.  

The Islanders asked their fans to come dressed in blue and they handed out orange towels to wave during the game.  The fans stated tailgating in the Nassau Coliseum parking lot by 7:30 AM.  The only change was Tyler Kennedy was inserted into the line-up and Michael Grabner was scratched.  Jaroslav Halak was in net vs. Braden Holtby who got over his sniffles on Friday.  

As far as my Islander couture for the day I decided to switch it up today for the home game.  I broke out my "It happened at the Coliseum" blue hoodie and my "Rock the Barn" hat.  I made the critical decision well before game time simply based on the fact that the Islanders lost on Friday and also because paying homage to the Nassau Coliseum seemed like the right thing to do.

At the drop of the puck the Islanders were flying around the rink.  The fourth line lead the charge as expected.  New York had the first ten shots on goal amidst a number of scrums in front of both nets.  Each team had an opportunity on the power play, but could not convert.  The Islanders ended up with a 16-5 shot advantage but in the end could not get on the board.

In the second period, the first ten minutes were a replica of the first period.  Lubomir Visnovsky took a vicious hit and laid out flat on the ice for a couple of minutes.  There was huge concern as Lubo has a history of six concussions.  He eventually got up and skated off.  Later in the period, the Islanders had the puck in the Washington zone and Lubo took another big hit and fell on the ice, but bounced up right away.  

The Islanders cycled the puck around and got it back onto Lubo's stick.  He launched a slap shot that was redirected by Kyle Okposo in front of Braden Holtby and into the net for a 1-0.  It was Okposo's 2nd goal of the playoffs.  Josh Bailey got the secondary assist.  The Islanders got a quick power play opportunity on the ensuing face-off but could not convert.

Right before the end of the period, Brian Strait got called for high sticking.  The Capitals applied some pressure, and as time was winding down, Ovechkin made a move around Johnny Boychuck and was on his way towards Halak.  Boychuck did not give up. Even though he was on the ice, he windmilled his stick around and made contact with the puck knocking it out of the zone as time ran out.

The Washington Capitals really took it to the Islanders in the third period.  They were able to dump and chase and work the puck down low behind the net and control the play in their zone for most of the period.  The Islanders played good defense, but it seemed almost like they were resigned to playing defense and trying to get a shutout.  

However, the effort of the Capital's would pay dividends.  Niklas Backstrom was able to beat Halak from the slot, aided by a screen from Ovechkin in front of the net to tie the game at one apiece.  The Islanders woke up after the goal and started to gear up their offense again, but it was too late and the game went to overtime.

I was not prepared for this.  Sudden death overtime is something I had not experienced in many, many years.  I sat closer to the television and right in front of my "Islanders shrine".  I looked at my bobblehead collection and stared straight at Bobby Nystrom.  I touched his head for good luck, because Mr. Islander had a knack for overtime goals in the day.  I then looked around and did the same thing for John Tavares.

As overtime started, the Islanders won the face-off and got it to Johnny Boychuk who fired it in on Holtby who gloved the puck and fed it to the corner.  The puck made it back to Nick Leddy who directed a shot on net.  A big rebound went to Kulemin and then a second rebound found John Tavares who was stationed at the right of the net.  The Captain knocked it in to win the game and it only took fifteen seconds.  It was their first overtime winner in the playoffs in 22 years.

The Islanders took a 2-1 lead in the series and look towards extending that on Tuesday evening back at the Nassau Coliseum.  The Islanders outshot the Capitals 42-25 for the game and produced offense when they had to.  If they can convert a couple of early goals on Tuesday they should be in good shape.

After the game winning goal, Tavares was mobbed in the corner and teammates jumped into his arms.  It also happened to be the same corner that Bobby Nystrom scored "The Goal" to give the Islanders their fist Stanley Cup in 1980, almost 34 years ago.  It was a thing of beauty.  The crowd let out the loudest and longest Yes!, Yes!, Yes! chant that I am sure #8 will be hearing in his dreams, or maybe for Ovechkin it will be his nightmares.

Bring More Twigs

It was Game#2 in the Nation's Capital. After a thoroughly dominating win by the Islanders in the series opener, the Washington Capitals looked to get a better start on Friday night. It was certainly too early to say that the game was a “Must Win” for the Caps, but a loss would have put them in a huge hole. If the Islanders were able to steal another game and go up 2-0 going back to a raucous and rowdy Nassau Coliseum on Sunday, they would had a legitimate shot at a series sweep. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. There was plenty of work to do first.
In the morning, eyes were opened in Washington when the club announced that it called up an extra goalie on an emergency basis. Apparently, Caps goalie Braden Holtby was feeling under the weather and was going to be a game time decision. There was a report later on in the day that Holby was going to be the starter, but half an hour before puck drop the news broke that Holtby would not go.

That meant that Philipp Grubauer would make his first Stanley Cup post season appearance. It also would be his 21st career NHL game and only his second game of the season. Grubauer's career numbers for the Capitals were 7-6-5, 2.44 GAA, .924 Save Pct. The more interesting note was that he was the first ever German-born goaltender to get a start in the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs. As far as the Islanders went it was the same cast of characters with Jaroslav Halak in net.

The Capitals definitely came out of the gate with more energy and cycled in the Islanders zone. After the game settled a little bit, the Islanders got a two on one break after Washington over-skated the puck. Martin fed Cal Clutterbuck who came down on the left wing and he wristed the puck over Grubauer's left shoulder and into the corner of the net for a 1-0 lead. It was Clutterbuck's first post-season goal. Leddy got the second assist. The one telling stat in the first period was blocked shots with the Islanders having 15 vs. the Capitals who did not have even one.

In the second period, the Islanders used the same script as in the first. Just a couple of minutes in, it was the ole housemates John Tavares and Ryan Strome that got together once again. It started with Lubomir Visnovsky getting the puck to Tavares behind the net. Tavares, working in his office, then fed Strome in the slot who slapped one past Grubauer for a 2-0 lead. It was Strome's 2nd of the playoffs in his second game. The Islanders settled in and gained controlled the game until sticks started breaking.

The first stick that broke belonged to Matt Martin, which gave Washington extended zone time. It was just a matter of time before the Islanders wore down. Karl Alzner's lobbied a one timer that Halak could not veto mid-way through the period to get the Capitals on the board. Soon thereafter, the Islanders got their two goal lead back when Kyle Okposo toe-dragged the puck and then went high over Grubauer's shoulder to make it 3-1. Josh Bailey and Calvin deHaan had the assists. Their second two goal lead of the period turned the Verizon Center crowd into a silent majority.

The second stick that broke belonged to Kyle Okposo, which gave Washington another defacto power play. Again, the Islanders were worn down. Matt Niskanen then took a shot from inside the Beltway that Halak stopped, but the Great 8 was there to whip it in the net. Ovechkin got the Capitals back to within one goal at 3-2. Two broken sticks and two goals. I have heard of bad puck luck, but this was getting to be ridiculous.

After the Capitals scored their second goal the momentum started to swing. That momentum carried into the third period when Ryan Strome went off for slashing a couple of minutes in. On the ensuing power play, Nicklas Backstrom brought the puck into the Islanders zone by his lonesome and fired a shot past Halak who looked like a lame duck to tie the game at three apiece. Just a few minutes later, Nick Leddy failed to clear the puck and Jason Chimera used his bully pulpit to follow-up his own rebound to give the Capitals their first lead of the series at 4-3. That would be the final score of the game.

For the first half of the game it looked like that the Islanders would escape Washington with a two game lead in the series. They actually did not play all that bad. The two broken sticks changed the momentum in the game and once it swung to the Capitals favor the Islanders could not get it back. That being said, Halak was not all that great and needs to step it up a notch back on Long Island.

The Islanders were given a gift at the start of the game when Holtby could not go. They should have capitalized and won a game against a minor league goalie. They should have applied more pressure than they did. But to be fair, the Capitals got lucky and were only able to pull the game out when the Islanders started breaking their twigs. The Capitals essentially scored three of their four goals with a man advantage.

Most would say that the Islanders should be happy going home with one win in the first two games. However, they had a tremendous opportunity to take control of the series and fell short. Now they go home to the Nassau Coliseum for a Sunday matinee at 12:00 PM. They need to continue the same level of play and take it to the Capitals and they should be fine. They just need to remember to bring extra twigs.

We Got House Money

Here...we...go! (in my best Mike Goldberg UFC voice).  It was Game#1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  On this day every team starts with a clean slate.  Whatever happened in the regular season has been quickly forgotten.  It does not matter if you won the President's Trophy or if you won on the last day of the season to get into the playoffs.  All that matters is what happens here on out.  

Before the first puck drops every player has the same dream that in the middle of June that they will be at center ice in some arena lifting the Stanley Cup over their head.  However, only one team will see that dream become reality.  It is a tournament like no other.  It is a journey that will have a lot of twists and turns as well as ups and downs.  The impossible will become possible and the likely will become the unlikely.  It's going to be a fun ride.  Let's hope that for the Islanders that the ride is a long one.

The Islanders travelled to Washington to take on the Capitals on Wednesday evening.  As much as home ice would have been nice, I think that opening up on the road was a blessing in disguise.  First of all, the Islanders have played well the past couple of seasons away from the Nassau Coliseum.  Secondly, starting on the road takes all the pressure off of them and puts it squarely in the back of the Capitals.  No one expects them to win the series.  Lastly, it gave the Islanders a chance to steal a game in the early part of the series and shift the momentum to their side.  Even if they had lost the first two games on the road, they knew that they would have a rowdy crowd back at the Coliseum to help them get even.  There was absolutely nothing to lose

The line-up for the game was kept under lock and key.  The only thing that Head Coach Jack Capuano divulged early in the day was that Jaroslav Halak was in goal.  On defense, Travis Hamonic missed the game due to an injury he sustained in Pittsburgh last Friday.  For Hamonic to be out, you knew it had to be serious.  I cannot tell you how many times I have seen him sustain a "season ending injury" and then all of a sudden show up back on the ice in the very next period.  

There was no word on Frans Nielsen and Matt Martin, however, they showed up at the start of the game.  There was still no news on Mikhail Grabovski, although he looked good on Instagram thanking his wife for making him some homemade burgers.  Griffin Reinhart was called up from Bridgeport to act as the seventh defenseman, however, it was probably more to give him some playoff experience without actually playing in a game.

For me, as I prepped for the game, I had a big decision to make.  Do I go with the standard "Islanders Old Time Hockey" hoodie with matching hat or switch it up and go with something new for the playoffs.  The problem is that I wore the hoodie all year long.  It worked so well at the beginning of the year, but at the end of the year, not so much.  I decided to stick with the hoodie and with what got me to the dance.  If the Islanders should stumble out of the gate I can always change up and adjust for the next game.

It was interesting for the first half of the first period seeing the atmosphere in Verizon Center and comparing it to the Nassau Coliseum.  After the first couple of minutes it got pretty quiet. It almost seem like a regular-season game.  The Islanders withstood some early pressured by the Capitals and then slowly took over the game.  Then just six minutes in, Brock Nelson took a pass from Josh Bailey and off of one leg he took a wrist shot which handcuffed Braden Holtby and went into the net.  Obviously the first goal of the playoffs was also Nelson's first goal of the playoffs.  Boychuk got the second assist.

After Nelson's goal, it seemed that the entire team displayed a lot more confidence. They looked like a team that had been there before. On the other hand, the Washington Capitals looked a bit nervous and could not get any offense going in the Islanders zone.  The crowd was extremely quiet and there was absolutely no home ice advantage.  The crowd did not wake up until the last minute when Halak failed to clear the puck, and it found the stick of Marcus Johanssen who launched a shot from the National Mall into the net to tie the game at one apiece.  Overall, it was a good first road period.  The Islanders out shot the Capitals and had the better of the play.

Just when it looked like Washington was going to grab the momentum, just four minutes into the second period, the Islanders struck again.  John Tavares won a clean face-off and drew the puck back towards a waiting Ryan Strome who wristed his first playoff goal through traffic and past Holtby.  It was a good shot, but one that the Washington netminder never saw.  With the lead once again the Islanders had their confidence back and once again controlled the period.

Right past the ten minute mark, Kyle Okposo got the puck to the right side of Holtby, did a 360 degree turn and headed behind the net.  He then fed Frans Nielsen who found Josh Bailey right in front of Holtby.  Bailey took a shot and followed up his own rebound and got just enough to get it to trickle into the net for a 3-1 lead.  The Islanders survived the last minute of the period and headed to the third with a comfortable two goal lead.  The shots were even at 17 apiece through two periods.  The Capitals dominated in the face-off circle, but the Islanders won their face-offs when they counted most.

In the final period, the Islanders controlled the play throughout.  They failed on their all of their power plays, but killed off all of Washington's as well, the biggest kill coming at around the eight minute mark after a Cal Clutterbuck high stick.  The Capitals had a couple of chances with a couple of minutes left, but could not get that second critical goal to make it a game.  

Washington pulled Holtby for the extra attacker. Brock Nelson then blocked a shot with about a minute to go.  He was about to go off on a line change, but he saw that Anders Lee iced the puck.   Nelson changed his mind and raced to the net to avoid the icing call and corralled the puck and slam dunked it into the empty net to seal the 4-1 win.

This was a very impressive win by the Islanders.  They never gave the Capitals any good scoring chances.  They got balanced scoring from Nelson, Strome, and Bailey.  Halak made saves when he needed to and was more than solid.  Above all else, the Islanders were able to stick to their game plan and silenced the dangerous Alexander Ovechkin.  

Last Saturday, both the Capitals and Islanders choked and lost their games.  Washington looked very bad in losing to the Rangers in a game that meant everything to the Capitals and nothing to the Rangers.  They looked just as listless on Saturday as they did on Wednesday night.  However, the Islanders looked very good on Saturday even though they gave up the lead twice and lost in a shootout to the Columbus Blue Jackets.  Looking back now to those two performance it made perfect sense that the Islanders would win this one.  The form for both teams held true.

Now with Game#1 in their back pocket, the Islanders have nothing to lose.  They know that the worst case scenario is that they go back to the Nassau Coliseum with home ice advantage.  However, the best case scenario is that they go up two games and put a stranglehold on this series.  Now is the time to turn it up a notch.  They are playing with house money.  Its time to double down and take Game#2 before Washington knows what hit them.

Well Said, Popeye

And then there was one.  The last regular season game of the year.  The only question was whether the game would mean anything or not.  The Washington Capitals lost earlier in the day (notice I did not mention who won the game) so that meant that the Islanders would be playing the last game of the year for home ice advantage against the Capitals in the first round.  

The Columbus Blue Jackets were in town and out of the playoffs, but that has not stopped them from finishing the season strong.  They came into the game with 87 points (41-35-5).  However, in their last 16 games they have gone 14-1-1.  The Islanders were 2-0-1 against the Blue Jackets this year, but the two wins were earlier in the season when Columbus was banged up.  Columbus did not start Sergei Bobrovsky, who is affectionately nicknamed "Bob", probably only because they wanted to give back-up Curtis McElhinney a shot at creating his own nickname.

The scene in the Coliseum was reported to be insane.  Fans were everywhere a good fifteen minutes before warmups and chants of "Let's Go Islanders" and "We Want Home Ice" were loud and proud.  As part of the pre-game ceremonies, Claire Arbour and her family dropped the puck in honor of Al Arbour who could not make the trip from Florida due to illness. The Islanders also commemorated the 1972 team by wearing replica sweaters with bright orange numbers.  They were not very pretty, but they were nostalgic.

On the injury front, Travis Hamonic was out after getting injured against the Penguins on Friday and Calvin deHaan finally got back in the lineup.  Hamonic came to the rink sporting a big limp which was not a good sign.  Jaroslav Halak was back in net with home ice for the playoffs on the line.  The forward lines remained unchanged.  So with no signs of Martin, Nielsen, Grabovski, and Hamonic there had to be some concern going into the playoffs next Wednesday.

To start the game, the Islanders had two or three giveaways, probably due to nerves and excitement more than anything else.    The game was very physical as Columbus knocking down John Tavares and Casey Czikas with borderline hits.  The Islanders had three breakaways on McElhinney, but Brock Nelson hit a post, John Tavares missed an opportunity right out of the penalty box, and Nickolay Kulemin missed a chance on a power play.  

The Islanders out shot the Blue Jackets 20-8 in the period, but a late hooking penalty on Casey Czikas gave Columbus a power play chance.  Then with only ten seconds left Cam Atkinson roofed one past Halak for a quick 1-0 lead.  It was the third time in the last three games that the opposition got a goal with ten seconds or less to go in a period.  It was disappointing to say the least, but the Islanders did play well during the period and the crowd was behind them.  It was just a matter of time before they would get on the board.

In the second period, the Islanders continued to carry the play.  Each team had a power play opportunity but could not convert.  Then about halfway through the period, the Islanders strong effort paid off as Josh Bailey fed Kyle Okposo from behind the net and Kyle was able to elevate it past McElhinney to tie the game at one apiece.  It was Okposo's 18th goal of the year.  Kulemin got the second helper.  The shots were even in the period.  One goal and twenty minutes was all that separated the Islanders from home ice in the first round of the playoffs.

The last regular season period at the Nassau Coliseum was off the charts.  The Islanders came out strong and got two goals within a minute of each other to take a 3-1 lead.  It was the fourth line that got the first tally as Eric Boulton sat on the doorstep and knocked in a rebound past McElhinney from Tyler Kennedy and Nick Leddy.  It was Boults' 2nd goal of the year, both against the Blue Jackets.  Then before they could announce the goal, John Tavares got a feed from Kyle Okposo and beat McElhinney up high.  It was the Captain's 38th goal of the year.  At that point all seemed right in the world.

However, nothing is ever easy for the Islanders or their fan base.  The Blue Jackets got two straight goals of their own to tie the game at three apiece.  The first was a fluke goal that occurred when Brandon Dubinsky flipped a puck up in the air while he was behind the Islanders net.  The puck hit Josh Bailey and then the back of Halak's pad and it was in the net without anyone noticing.  The tying goal came off of a delayed penalty which enabled the Blue Jackets to get an additional attacker and an open look at the net.  Alexander Wennberg got the goal.  There was no way either of those goals were Halak's fault.  They were just bad bounces that did not go the Islanders way.

That was not the end of the scoring.  With less than five minutes to go, Tavares and Kulemin came across the blue line and Tavares fed the puck through his legs to Kulemin who beat McElhinney for a 4-3 lead.  It was Kulemin's 15th goal of the year.  It looked like that it was going to be a happy ending.  However, the Blue Jackets got another tying goal a couple of minutes later when Halak was screened in front of his net and Scott Hartnell buried it past him to send the game to overtime.  

It seemed odd that the last regular season game and home ice in the first round of the playoffs would come down to a skills competition, but it did.  The Islanders took the early lead on a great move by John Tavares, but eventually lost in four rounds. It almost seemed improbable earlier in the day that the Islanders could lose, but they did.  

The Islanders bounced back from a heartbreaking loss in Philadelphia with a gritty win in Pittsburgh on Friday.  Then they got some help earlier in the day from their fiercest rival.  They played a strong game with 52 shots on goal and four breakaways, but somehow came up empty.  The bounces did not go their way.  The hockey g-ds were just not on their side.

The exclamation point came after the game when it was learned that Jamie Benn in Dallas, in a meaningless game, got two late points to take the scoring title away from John Tavares.  For a while in the third period it seemed certain that the Islanders had won and that Tavares would be dusting off his mantle for his first Art Ross trophy.  But neither would come to be. 

Sometimes when it rains it pours.  Sometimes  when it pours, it floods.  This was one of those times.  The way the season ended makes you wonder if there is some hidden meaning or some lesson to be learned.  I guess this is the time to look at the glass half full.  There are still the playoffs to look forward to.  The season is not over.  

After 43 years and all the memories, the Nassau Coliseum needs a better send off than this.  When the season does come to an end, then that will be the time to step back and see if it all makes sense.  Right now it does not make any sense at all, because right now it just hurts.  Let's hope that for this year, that this this evening and this game is the final hurt.  

To sum up how I feel right now I will quote the famous philosopher, Popeye.  He once said, "That's all I can stands, because I can't stands no more,"  Well said Popeye...well said indeed.

A Hockey Fan, Yoda Is

As Yoda would have probably said, "Two games left in the season, there were."  Not sure where the Star Wars reference came from, but I will run with it.  Hard to believe the season is finally coming to an end.  For the Islanders it was a very good start, but it has been less than a stellar finish.  The Islanders finally clinched a playoff spot on Thursday night when the Florida Panthers beat an over the hill Boston Bruins team..  Who would have thought that with 98 points and two games left in the season, that the playoffs would still be up in the air?  It goes to show you that points earned in October are just as important as points earned in April.

The Islanders still had some work to do.  They travelled to Pittsburgh on Friday to play a banged up Penguin team with a lot on the line.  If the Islanders could win their final two games and if a miracle of all miracles happens on Saturday and a minor league New York Rangers squad, with nothing to play for, beats a tough Washington Capitals team, then the Islanders would clinch second place in the Metropolitan Division.  

That would mean home ice advantage for the Islanders in the first round and bonus hockey at the Nassau Coliseum.  Any other result and New York would start the playoffs on the road.  Pittsburgh, on the other hand, was playing for their playoff lives with Boston and Ottawa breathing down their neck.  They have struggled as of late and are banged up on the blue line.  A streak of nine straight seasons of playoffs hung in the balance.

An interesting and exciting subtext to Friday's game was the race for the Art Ross trophy, which is given to the leading scorer in the league at the end of the season.  John Tavares and Sidney Crosby came into the game tied with Jamie Benn of Dallas at 83 points with two games to play.  The good news is Tavares holds the tie-breaker over Crosby due to the fact that he has scored more goals than Sidney.  Friday's game in Pittsburgh may go a long way to deciding the eventual winner.  

Matt Martin did not make the trip to Pittsburgh  However, Frans Nielsen did.  But both remained out with undisclosed injuries.  Not sure why the injuries are not characterized as upper body or lower body.  Maybe it is right on the line between the two and the team doctors cannot make the call.  It is a bit concerning, because each has been out for a week and the playoffs start next week.  Still no word on Mikhail Grabovski, who has been skating with the team for quite a while,.  There was some good news on the injury front as Cal Clutterbuck returned to the lineup.

Pittsburgh came out of the locker room on fire. You could tell that they were a desperate team battling for their playoff lives. They threw almost every puck that they had in the Islanders zone on Jaroslav Halak.  The Penguins got their first chance with a man advantage when Thomas Hickey went off for slashing. On the ensuing power play, the Penguins were cycling the puck behind Halak when Patrick Hornqvist tried to stuff a Clark Bar in the net.   The puck seemed to cross the red line, however, it was hard to tell if it went in because Halak's glove masked the puck. After a lengthy review in the war room in Toronto, it was decided that it was inconclusive and that it was not a goal.  It turned out to be the right call.

It was only eight seconds later, after a face-off in the Islanders zone, that Cal Clutterbuck fished out the puck from the corner, and launched a home run pass to Casey Czikas. He caught Mark-Andre Fleury off guard  with a quick wrist shot to make it 1–0. It was a shorthanded goal and Czikas' 9th goal of the year. Talk about a turn of events. The Penguins and their fans were stunned. Pittsburgh tried to turn it up a notch and tried to get on the board, but Halak was solid stopping 17 shots in the first 20 minutes.  The Islanders only had five shots of their own on net, but the important thing is that one of them counted to give them gave them the lead.

The second period consisted of a lot of end to end action.  Pittsburgh got another power-play opportunity when Eric Bolton interfered with a Penguin as he was exiting the ice.  The Islanders almost got a another shorty when Thomas Hickey started a two on one break with Michael Grabner. Hickey kept the puck and tried to beat the goaltender by himself, but a Fleury made a fantastic stop.  

The Islanders almost escaped. the period with the lead, however, Rob Scuderi got a juicy rebound and put it in an open net to tie the game at 1-1 with only Heinz 5.7 seconds left.  The evil Sidney Crosby got the assist to temporarily take over the scoring lead.  It was the second game in a row that Halak gave up a very late goal But he really did not have any chance on that one.  Through two periods the Penguins had the lead and shots 28–13. 

Normally when teams score goals late in the period, the momentum carries over to the next period.  In this game, it was not the case.  Just three minutes into the third period, Kyle Okposo dug the puck out of the corner, spun and passed the puck to Brian Strait at the blue line.  Strait slapped one towards the net and Fluery made a kick save right to the stick of John Tavares who had a wide open net to give the Islanders the lead back at 2-1.  It was the Captain's 37th goal of the year and once again tied him with Crosby in the Art Ross race.

The Penguins were very tired and had no jump the rest of the way.  Playing with only five defensemen for a number of games will do that to you.  It really showed late in the period, when after a face-off Michael Grabner skated past the entire Penguins team and wristed a shot past Fluery to win the game 3-1.  It was Grabner's 8th goal of the year from Bailey.  That was the type of play that the coaches will notice and hopefully get Grabner some more playing time next week.

So Saturday should be interesting.  The Rags need to win to make the last game in the Nassau Coliseum meaningful.  If the Capitals get any sort of point then the game on Long Island will simply be an exhibition.  That will wrap the season and then the Islanders will be able to dream of the Stanley Cup for a couple of days before the tournament starts on Wednesday.

Overall, it was a great effort by the Islanders against a desperate team.  The Islanders were out shot for the game 38-26 and most likely out-chanced as well, but in the end they wore the Penguins down.  It was clear that the Islanders were the better team.  

I guess with Tavares and Crosby going head to head it certainly was star wars of some sort.  The Captain got the winning goal and took over the scoring lead.  As a fan you could not ask for anything more..  Tavares was certainly the better player this evening or as Yoda would say, "Certainly the better player this evening, Tavares was."

Beware of the Glazed Honey Bun

The Islanders invaded the land of Tastykakes for the last time this year in search of a playoff birth.  Coming into the game, the Islanders magic number was a single point which meant that any combination of a point gained by New York or lost by Ottawa would clinch the playoffs for the blue and orange.  On Tuesday evening, while the Islanders were in the city of brotherly love, the Senators were hosting the struggling Pittsburgh Penguins north of the border.

The Philadelphia Flyers have been eliminated from playoff contention for quite a while with 82 points (32-29-18), however, they have been playing the opposition tough, going undefeated in the last six games, including two gritty wins against the Penguins.  An interesting side note to the game was that an Islanders win would also represent the first sweep of a season series against the Flyers in team history.  Referencing a statistic like that one tends to come back to bite you later on.  

Matt Martin and Frans Nielsen did not make the trip to Philadelphia as they were both nursing injuries.  That meant that Michael Grabner and Colin McDonald were rescued from purgatory and would see some game action after a long spell of healthy scratches.  In addition, at the last minute, Cal Clutterbuck was scratched with an undisclosed injury paving the way for Tyler Kennedy to get back in the lineup as well.  The lines were juggled a bit to accommodate all of the changes.  John Tavares centered the top line with Kulemin and Strome; Josh Bailey was moved back to center Lee and Okposo; Brock Nelson was in the middle for Grabner and Kennedy; and, Czikas was in-between Boulton and McDonald.

The Islanders were back on their heels to start the game.  The Flyers dominated play in the New York zone.  Eric Boulton made his presence felt with a vicious shoulder to shoulder hit behind the Flyers net.  Ryan White then challenged Boults to a short fight and received an extra two minute instigator penalty.  On the ensuing power play, the Flyers shot the puck over the glass in their own end which gave the Islanders a lengthy five on three advantage.  The Flyers killed off both penalties to keep the game scoreless.

A little bit later on in the period, the Flyers got their own chance at a five on three when Thomas Hickey was called for holding and Johnny Boychuk got caught tripping.  The Islanders did a good job throughout the kill, but right at the end Claude Giroux got the puck to the right of Halak from old friend Mark Streit and fired a Chocolate Junior right past Halak for a 1-0 lead.  Later in the period, Giroux got another feed from Streit in the slot and buried another Chocolate Junior to make it 2-0.  To add insult to injury, both goals were assisted by Voracek who leapfrogged over John Tavares in the chase for the Art Ross trophy.  Islanders out shot the Flyers 15-10, but a couple of mistakes cost them.

After getting out-chanced in the first period, the Islanders had the better scoring chances early in the second.  The Islanders got a pair of power plays, the second one when Tavares led a break and found Travis Hamonic in front of the net.  Hamonic tried to shovel the puck past Steve Mason, but was hooked by old friend Mark Streit.  On the power play, Ryan Strome launched a hard shot to the front of the net that was tipped home by John Tavares to cut the Flyer lead in half.  It was the captain's 36th goal of the year with Leddy getting the second assist.

The Islanders nearly tied the game immediately after the Tavares goal, but a few minutes later, the Flyers scored again when Pierre-Edouard Bellemore. snuck a Butterscotch Krimpet past Halak to give the Flyers their two goal lead back at 3-1.  Through two periods the Islanders dominated the shot clock 30-18 and had as many if not more chances than the Flyers.  The difference was Steve Mason who was downright solid through the first forty minutes.   All the Islanders needed in the third period was some puck luck.

Early in the third the Islanders dug themselves a bigger hole.  Grabner and Kennedy tried to leave the New York zone in order to get a break the other way, but Brock Nelson gave the puck away and that enabled Carlo Colaiacovo to wrist a Koffee Kake top shelf to give the Flyers a three goal lead at 4-1.  I had pretty much given up at that point and was poised to switch the channel.  As I scrolled through the cable guide, Anders Lee got the puck off of a rebound from Josh Bailey and fired it past Mason to cut the lead in half at 4-2.  It was Lee's 24th goal of the year and his first in ten games.  Lubomir Visnovsky got the second helper.  There was still about a dozen minutes to go in the game.

I still was not convinced that anything else of substance was about to happen and continued to look for alternative entertainment.  The Islanders got some chances and when they got a late power play and failed to convert it seemed to be all over..  Then as I was about to switch the channel once again Johnny Boychuck sizzled a slapper past Mason to make it 4-3 with a little less than two minutes to go.  It was Boychuk's 9th goal of the year and Tavares got the assist.  At that point my interest peaked a little bit.  

After a couple of icings by the Flyers, the Islanders had an offensive zone face-off with a half a minute to go in the game.  On a set play, Tavares drew the puck back and shoved to the slot for a waiting Anders Lee who stick-handled the puck and then put it past Mason to tie the game at four apiece.  It was an amazing comeback.  Lee's second goal of the game was his 25th of the year.  The assist by Tavares gave him three points in the game and left him a single point and in second place behind Sidney Crosby for the scoring lead.

The Islanders were only 28 seconds away from a point and a playoff spot.  After the center ice face-off the puck was pushed into the Philadelphia zone.  All they needed to do was play keep away for a few seconds and the playoff box could be checked off.  The puck then found its way to center ice and Brayden Schenn innocently skated across the blue line and just fired an Glazed Honey Bun right on Halak.  Jaroslav fumbled it and it went in the net to give the Flyers the win 5-4 with two seconds left.  Every Islander was as stunned and shocked as they could possibly be.  I started to shake uncontrollably at that point.  To channeled Vin Scully from the 1988 World Series and thought  "I don't believe what I just saw!"

What a heart-breaking defeat.  The Islanders made a gallant effort overcoming so many last second injuries.  The goal that Halak gave up was very Fluery-esque.  He took full responsibility after the game.  To make matters worse, the Penguins choked by giving up a three goal lead and losing to the Senators in overtime.  The Islanders outshot the Flyers 40-27 and came back from three goals late in the game.  But a lack of focus and a bad bounce did them in.  There was no season sweep of Philadelphia in the making.  There was no playoff box to be checked off on this night either.  

This game made you stop and wonder if it is just not meant to be,  After a disappointing loss like this one there is one of two things that could happen.  The Islanders can turtle and limp into the playoffs and lose convincingly in the first round or they can pick themselves up off of the ice and be more determined than ever.  Its gut check time on the Long Island.  

Its  about an hour after the game.  I am still sick to my stomach and I can't stop shaking.  The anger is almost overwhelming.  There is a very bad taste in my mouth and it won't go away anytime soon. They say that time heals all wounds.  In this case, time can't pass fast enough.

Back In The Driver's Seat

Tonight was the penultimate game at the Nassau Coliseum against the lowly Buffalo Sabres.  It was all Decades Night which was a celebration of each decade in Islanders history.  On hand as part of the festivities were Ed Westfall (the Isles first captain in the 70s), Garry Howatt (the Isles first enforcer in the 70s), Butch Goring (part of the dynasty teams of the 80s), Pierre Turgeon (part of the Islanders resurgence in the early 90s) and Shawn Bates (who scored that memorable penalty shot against Toronto in the playoffs in the 00s). It was sure to be a sellout and also a must win.

The Islanders were coming off of a very disappointing overtime loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets., who followed up that game by beating the Pittsburgh Penguins for their ninth straight win on Saturday afternoon.  That meant that an Islanders win against the Sabres coupled with a Washington Capitals loss would vault the Islanders back into second place in the Metropolitan Division.  However, if the Capitals happened to beat the Ottawa Senators then the Islanders would at least have clinched a playoff spot.  Either way it would be good news,.  But the Islanders had to win first.

The Sabres were eliminated from playoff competition many months ago (52 points = 22-48-8).  They have been tanking the season in order to get the first pick in next year's draft.  Matt Moulson did not make the trip to Long Island, which was unfortunate because he should have gotten one more chance to play in the Nassau Coliseum before the doors were shut.  Moulson became a star here and had his best seasons in a blue and orange uniform.  After being a perennial 30 goal scorer, he signed a huge contract with the Sabres and only has 13 goals on the season.  

Andrey Makarov made his NHL debut against Jaroslav Halak.   The Islanders needed to jump on the rookie as soon as possible and put the game away.  There was no more time to fool around with a Buffalo Sabres team that had nothing to play for.  The switch has been officially turned on for the rest of the season and the playoffs.

As the game got started, the Islanders got a few shots on Makarov.  New York got a power play when Matt Martin got hooked in the Buffalo zone.  Kyle Okposo then was able to launch a soft shot with eyes that saw its way through traffic and caromed in off of a Buffalo defenseman and by Makarov for a 1-0 lead,  It was BookerT's 17th goal of the year with John Tavares and Frans Nielsen getting the assists.  Not a dominating period, but one where the Islanders were in complete control.  The Islanders out shot the Sabres 13-8, however six of the Buffalo shots came on a single shift.

The second period was pretty uneventful, but once again the Islanders controlled the play. New York had to kill off a hooking penalty to Cal Clutterbuck and a double minor when Brian Strait went off for high sticking.  The Sabres had the edge in shots 9-8 for the period, but that was only due to the fact that Buffalo had six minutes of power play time and New York had none.  Through two periods, Halak was very sharp.

As the teams started the last period, the Islanders started to press a bit more on Makarov.  After failing to convert on a power play, the Islanders got a break when a Sabre lost a stick in the Buffalo zone.  As the Sabres tried to clear the puck, a pass hit the errant stick and found the blade of  Brock Nelson who went five hole on Makarov for a 2-0 lead.  It was Nelson's 20th goal of the year. A Buffalo hockey stick got the assist.

With a two goal cushion, the Islanders could have gone into cruise control, but they didn't.  With about seven minutes to go, Travis Hamonic whiffed on his slap shot, Lubomir Visnovsky picked it up and gave it back to Hamonic you tried a second time and launched a bullet at the net.  Nickolay Kulemin tipped it home past Markov for a commanding 3-0 lead.  It was Kulemin's 14th goal of the year in his 500th NHL game.  The party was over at that point.

The Islanders turned it on in the last period outshooting the Sabres 15-4 in the third and 36-21 for the game.  Jaroslav Halak was solid and got his 6th shutout of the year, which happens to be one off of the franchise record for a single season held by Chico Resch.  John Tavares with his assist remained a point behind Sidney Crosby and a point ahead of Alex Ovechkin in the race to the Hart Trophy.

With two points in hand, I turned over to the Washington Capitals game.  The Ottawa Senators had gotten out to a 3-0 lead, but the Capitals scored two goals to make it close with a couple of minutes left.  Washington tied the game and it went to overtime where the Senators won on a breakaway by Kyle Turris.  So that meant that the Islanders re-claimed second place by a point over Washington and three points over Pittsburgh.  Both of those teams play Sunday afternoon games, so with a little help, the Islanders will not only have a lead but a game in hand on both.

Beating Buffalo was a must win to put the Islanders in good position.  They can clinch the playoffs with a win in Philadelphia on Tuesday night and are in the driver's seat for home ice advantage for the first round of the playoffs.  It was an exciting time in the ole barn, especially with all of the pre-game festivities,.  No one on the current team represented the Islanders for the All Decade celebration.  Perhaps that will be a story that will be written before this season comes to an end.

Starting the Stretch Run

Its down to the final five games.  It looks like the Rangers have the division all wrapped up.  For them to be knocked out of the top spot they would have to lose all of their remaining games and the Islanders would have to win out.  That is most likely not going to happen so the race is for the number two spot.

The Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins came into the game at 95 points apiece over 77 games.  The Washington Capitals were just one point back.  All three teams have 38 Regulation Wins (ROW), which is the first tie-breaker.  When it comes to the second tie-breaker, which is head-to-head competition, the Islanders have the edge over the Penguins but not the Capitals.  Finally, Washington has the edge in head-to-head over both the Islanders and Penguins.  That is as clear as mud.  Translation = The Islanders have to win more games and get points.

The first game in the string was against the Blue Jackets of Columbus, who were eliminated from the playoff picture last Tuesday.  However, the Bleu Jackets came into the game as one of the hottest teams in the league with seven straight wins to give them 78 points (37-35-4).  Many of those wins have come against playoff bound teams.  The primary reason for their difficult year has been the fact that the Bloo Jackets have not been able to stay healthy.  The number of man games lost this year due to injury is almost double than that of the Islanders.

New York went with primarily the same team that they put on the ice last week.  The one change had Tyler Kennedy taking a seat in favor of Eric Boulton.  Curious that Head Coach Jack Capuano did not opt for Michael Grabner who supposedly was battling the flu the past week.  Cappy told the media that Grabner was healthy so it is troublesome as to why Grabner is not in the lineup.  Makes you wonder if there is a backstory that we are not getting.  I would expect Grabner to get back in soon.  They will need his speed in the playoffs. 

Every game there is a different story to tell, so it is very welcomed when stories end up writing themselves.  That is exactly what happened in the first few minutes of the game.  Eric Boulton, who was inserted into the lineup to provide an emotional boost, knocked in his own rebound past Sergei "Bob" Bobrovsky to make it 1-0..  Boulton was certainly probably the most unlikely goal scorer for either team.  Not only was it his first goal of the year in only six appearances, it was his first goal since December 2013.  It certainly made Cappy look like a genius...for the moment.

I had to listen to the beginning of the game on radio because it was raining cats and dogs, which delayed my arrival in the man cave.  Just as I finally turned on the game, the Blue Jackets tied it up when the puck deflected off of Brandon Dubinsky.  Halak really had no chance at all.  The first period did not have many more chances for either team and there were only fifteen shots on net combined for both teams with the Blue Jackets having nine of them.  By all accounts it was a pretty even period.

The Islanders would get the lead back early in the second period.  The team came out with a better effort,  Nick Leddy corralled the puck in the Columbus zone and circled behind the led and passed it off of the side boards to a waiting Johnny Boychuck who one timed it towards the net.  John Tavares deflected the puck as it was on its way past Bob for a 2-0 lead.  It was Tavares' 35th goal of the year.  

The rest of the second period was pretty quiet, but the sense was that the Islanders were slowly taking control of the game   Columbus really was never in a position to make a threat.  Both teams traded power plays and through two periods Columbus had a slight lead in shots 18-16.

For the third time in three periods, the Islanders tallied a goal in the opening minutes.  John Tavares sped across the Columbus blue line and stopped short and fed the puck back to Travis Hamonic who fired a wicked slap shot on net.  Bob left a rebound to Ryan Strome who buried it for a 3-1 lead.  It was Strome's 17th goal of the year and Tavares' second point of the game, which closed him to within a single point of Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin for the league lead.

Everything seemed to be stuck comfortably in cruise control until the Islanders failed to clear their zone which led to a Jack Johnson goal to make it 3-2 with about nine minutes left in the game.  That goal shifted the momentum back to the Blue Jackets who started to pick up the pace a bit.  A couple of minutes later, Columbus dumped it into the New York zone behind Lubomir Visnovsky and Ryan Johansen was able to slide a buckeye past Halak to even the game at three apiece. 

The Islanders got a gift with exactly two minutes to go in the game when Columbus was called for a delay of game penalty.  Replays clearly showed that the puck hit the glass before exiting the playing surface.  However, the powerless play could not find a way to get the puck past a stingy Bob., which sent the game into overtime.

In the extra frame, Columbus got a clear make-up call when Johnny Boychuk was called for a cross-check in front of Halak.  The Blue Jackets had seven shots on Halak on the ensuing power play, but Halak came up very big.  The Islanders had a couple of chances, but the game ended up with a skills competition.  In the shootout, the Islanders looked very tired as Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo did not give their best effort against Bob.  Halak gave up two quick goals and just like that the Blue Jackets had their eighth straight win.

Next up is a home game on Saturday at the Nassau Coliseum against a bad Buffalo Sabres team.  That should be an easy win, but nowadays I am not sure if easy wins exist.  The Islanders need a strong game and convincing win to get their confidence back.  They certainly need a shot of adrenalin into their lineup and #40 is waiting in the wings to make that happen.  I was looking forward to writing a feel good story about Eric Boulton and his improbable goal in the first period., but it was not meant to be.  It is safe to say that the Eric Boulton experiment is over.

The Islanders got a point, but also gave away a point that they had in their back pocket.  It had to be very disappointing.  The loss left the Islanders one point ahead of the Penguins who were idle, however the Capitals beat the Habs in a shootout which vaulted them over the Penguins to tie the Islanders.  To make matters worse, the Capitals have that darn tie-breaker in their own back pocket.

The stretch run to second place in the Metropolitan Division is just getting started and cannot be any tighter than it is.  Every game is like a playoff game.  If the Islanders want to get home ice advantage in the first round, they will need to turn it around against Buffalo and Columbus (at home) and Philadelphia and Pittsburgh (on the road).  It is not going to be easy, but then again nothing ever is when you are an Islander.

Plenty Of Life Left

It was the final game of the Nassau Coliseum Goodbye Tour against the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday afternoon.  Not only did I get a guarantee of a win from the Long Island Marriott Night Manager, I also got a guarantee from Kellie.  Yesterday as we were walking around the Roosevelt Field Mall she mentioned that Michael Grabner would get back in the line-up and that the Islanders would win.  Then she said, "you can write about it in your blog and give me all the credit."  I would be more than happy to do that.  Stranger things have happened.  Let's see if it came to fruition.

The Red Wings came into the Nassau Coliseum off of a 4-0 win against Tampa Bay, so that meant that both the Islanders and Wings were playing back-to-back games over the weekend.  Detroit is third in the Atlantic division with 92 points (40-22-12) and clear of Boston and Ottawa in the play off race.  The Islanders always seem to play well against the Red Wings, but needed a strong effort to break the long losing streak at the Coliseum.

For the Islanders the line-up was the same with Jaroslav Halak in net (so Kellie was wrong on Grabner).  Jack Capuano did shuffle his lines to get some offense.  He moved Nickolay Kulemin and Ryan Strome to the top line with John Tavares, combined Josh Bailey with Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo on the second line, and had Brock Nelson center Anders Lee and Tyler Kennedy on the third line.  The NHL Greatest Hits line stayed in tact.

First order of business was a fantastic pre-game meal at Vincient's which consisted of Fried Zucchini, Chicken Parmigiana with a side of rigatoni, and some Tiramisu for dessert.  With a very full stomach we wobbled into the Nassau Coliseum about thirty minutes before puck drop.  For the first two games of this trip we had seats in the lower bowl.  However, for the Red Wings game we were in the lower part of the upper bowl in the corner.  I usually like to be close to the action, but there is something to be said about being up a bit higher.  It gives you a much better view of the entire ice surface.  As many have said, the sight lines in the Nassau Coliseum are very good and there is not a bad seat in the house.

The start of the game was not very good at all.  Right off the bat less than a minute in, Okposo failed to clear the puck which led to a Detroit scoring chance.  However, Halak misplayed the rebound and Tomas Tarter was there to clean it up for a quick 1-0 lead.  Then before the goal was announced to the crowd, Detroit was back in the New York zone and Drew Miller lifted the puck softly in the air and it bounced off Halak and into the net to make it 2-0 just two minutes into the game.  The crowd was stunned.  Seven straight home losses and a quick hole to dig out of.  The season seemed to be slowly slipping away.

The Islanders responded quickly.  After a Detroit hooking penalty, the Islanders power play (yes I said power and not powerless) got them back in the game.  Brock Nelson was able to fire one past Petr Mrazek to get the Islanders on the board.  It was a power play goal and Brock's 19th goal of the year with assists from Lubomir Visnovsky and Travis Hamonic.  At the very moment that the goal was scored there seemed to be a collective sign of relief from 16,000+ fans in the Coliseum.

But things got better less than two minutes later.  John Tavares skated into the Detroit zone and dropped a pass to Ryan Strome who had his first shot stopped by Mzarek before putting in his own rebound to tie the game at two apiece.  It was Strome's 16th goal of the year.  The Islanders could have packed it in, but instead came roaring back quickly.  It was like someone had awakened a sleeping cat.

With a renewed energy, the Islanders pushed the play a bit more and that led to another holding penalty against Detroit.. On the ensuing power play, Tavares took a slap shot that bounced off of Okposo's skate and behind Mzarek for a 3-2 lslanders lead.  Nick Leddy got the second assist.  However, before the ten minute mark, the Red Wings would tie the game at three on a goal by Niklas Kronwall.  Six goals in half a period.  At that moment it felt very much like an all-star game.   No one could stop a puck if their life depended on it.

Towards the end of the first period, Detroit committed their fourth penalty of the period, which bled over to the second stanza.  Right off of the second period face-off Frans Nielsen raced into the Detroit zone to the left of Mzarek and threw one on net.  The Detroit goalie got caught cheating as the puck slipped through his pads and the Islanders reclaimed a 4-3 lead.  It was Nielsen's 14th goal of the year from Tavares and Leddy.  It was also the Islanders third power play goal of the game.  As goals go, it was pretty soft, which prompted Mike Babcock to replace Mzarek with Jimmy Howard the rest of the way.

Just four minutes later, the Islanders took another penalty and went on the kill.  However, Cal Clutterbuck intercepted a pass and raced towards Howard.  He put on a fake with the puck sliding under Howard's pads for a short-handed goal to make it 5-3.  It was an unassisted goal and Clutterbuck's 7th of the year.  The Red Wings did not know what hit them.  After a couple of tough losses, it was nice to hear the "Yes!, Yes!, Yes!" chant so many times in such a short timeframe.

Pavel Datsyuk would cut the lead to 5-4 in the middle of the period, but after that point there would be no more scoring.  The third period was clean with no goals and no penalties and the shot clock was pretty even for the entire game with the Islanders having a slight 27-25 advantage.  There were a few anxious moments, but the Red Wings really did not mount much of a threat.  One last big save from Halak in the closing minute iced the game for the Islanders and stopped their home losing streak.

The win was guaranteed by both the Long Island Marriott Night Manager and Kellie.  I will give Kellie only half the credit because she turned out to be wrong on Michael Grabner.  Either way, I will take it.  A win is a win,  The win temporarily vaulted the Islanders back into second place in the Metropolitan Division with 95 points (44-27-11) ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins and extended their lead over fourth place Washington to three points.  However, both teams have games in hand.  

The good news is that the rest of the way the Islanders only play one playoff-bound team and it is the Penguins.  That could be either good (because those teams have nothing to play for) or bad (because those teams have nothing to lose).  It also gives the Islanders the chance to close out the season on a high note by beating up on the Eastern Conference after taking a beating from the Western Conference.

After the final buzzer I walked out of the Nassau Coliseum happy with a win in what should have been my final game in the ole barn.  However, as I left the arena I had a strong feeling that I would be back to see at least one more game.  I was not very nostalgic.  I did not shed a tear or get choked up.  Maybe it was knowing that there is still plenty of life left in the building, plenty of life left in the Islanders season, or the fact that there are plenty more memories still to cherish before the lights are finally turned off.

Housekeeping Stat!

Its game number two of the Nassau Coliseum Goodbye Tour and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim were in town.  The Islanders were coming off an adequate performance against the Los Angeles Kings which saw them lose the game on a late goal in the third period.  The Ducks are in the midst of a road trip and were coming into the game off of a win in Boston against the struggling Bruins.  The Ducks have 101 points and are tied with the Rangers for the most points in the NHL.  Just like the Kings, the Ducks were looking to avenge a loss to the Islanders earlier in the year on the left coast.  Which ironically was the turning point of the season and set the Islanders up for the rest of the season.

It was a surprise on Friday, when Head Coach Jack Capuano told the media early on that Michal Neuvirth would be getting the start on Saturday.  Normally Cappy waits until a few hours before the game.  Maybe he was just letting Neuvirth know ahead of time in order for him to get his head in the game.  Even though he has been better than Chad Johnson, he still has not played nearly as well as anticipated.  Jaroslav Halak had been playing better since returning from injury and will most likely get the start on Sunday against the Red Wings.

The only change on defense was Lubomir Visnovsky in for Calvin de Haan.  There were no changes at forward, but Kyle Okposo was bumped down to the second line and Anders Lee was reunited with John Tavares and Josh Bailey on the top unit.  Nickloay Kulemin and Frans Nielsen teamed up with Okposo.  The move probably make sense because BookerT has not looked all that good back on the top line since returning from his detached retina.

It was another full house on Saturday afternoon in the ole barn.  The first period seemed to be almost a repeat of Thursday evening against the Kings, with another west coast team coming into the Nassau Coliseum to push the hosts around.  For most of the period Anaheim cycled the puck in the New York zone and played "Duck, Duck, Goose" without interruption.

It was just a matter of time before the Islanders made a mistake.  After some pressure, Richard Rakell got a rebound and threw the puck in front of the net where it deflected off of Nick Leddy and past Neuvirth for a 1-0 lead.  It was a perfect example that showed that when you work hard and throw pucks at the net, good things are bound to happen.  The Islanders did not throw very many pucks at Frederik Andersen and as a result had very few scoring chances.

The Islanders eventually did get a break before the end of the period.  With about three minutes to go, Ryan Strome found Lubomir Visnovsky at the point and he threw one at Andersen that hit defenseman Simon Despres and bounced in the net.  It was Visnovsky's 5th goal of the year in an injury plagued year.  Thomas "Fish Oils' Hickey got the second assist.  I guess turnabout is fair play.  Throw puck at net, puck go in.  The shots were pretty much even for the period, but Anaheim dominated in puck possession.

In the second period it got ugly early.  Within the first two minutes, John Tavares failed to clear the New York zone.  Then after a Wisniewski slap shot the puck found Nick Leddy again.  The puck deflected off of Leddy to Kyle Palmieri who used a reverse spin-o-rama move on Neuvirth to make it 2-0.  Leddy has been impressive to watch in person because he is so smooth with the puck and easily penetrates the zone.  So for the Ducks to score two goals off of Leddy deflections was very unfortunate,

New York received a great opportunity on the powerless play when Anaheim took a tripping penalty and delay-of-game penalty that were nearly simultaneous which gave the Islanders a five on three advantage for nearly two minutes.  But true to form, there was a lot of standing around looking for the perfect pass and the perfect shot.  It was just not there.  Its as if they did not learn anything from the first period.  Throw puck at net, sometimes puck go in.  After failing on the double man powerless play all of the momentum was sucked out of the building.

To add insult to injury, Andrew Cogliano made in 3-1 late in the period.  There was even one last chance for the Islanders to get back in the game when the Ducks committed their fourth straight penalty.  But all that did was take two minutes off of the clock as the Islanders, as expected, failed once again,  The shots were once again pretty even for the period, only because the Islanders were "Oh for Four" with the man advantage.  There was not a lot of optimism going into the last period.

In the last frame the Islanders started to pick up the pace,  They spent much more time in the Anaheim zone and had the Ducks back on their webbed feet for most of the period.  However, the Islanders could not get one past Andersen.  Finally, with about five minutes left Matt Martin brought the puck into the Anaheim zone and worked very hard to gain possession of the puck behind the goal line.  The puck found its way to Casey Czikas in front of Andersen and he put it in the net to make it a game at 3-2.  It was Czikas' eighth goal of the year.  Martin should have earned an assist but did not get any credit for some reason.

It was another heart-breaking frustrated 3-2 loss to a strong west coast team.  It also was another long and disappointing walk back to the Long Island Marriott.  After the game, it was around 3:30 PM when we returned to the hotel.  Housekeeping had not made up our room.  I went to the front desk to lodge a complaint, and they sent someone immediately up to the room to do their deed.  We went out for dinner and returned around 9:00 PM.  However, the room was still a mess.  I went down once again to the front desk to complain.  This time I was a bit louder.

At this point I was upset because it was a mess in my room and also inside the Coliseum.  Housekeeping was a healthy scratch from the lineup and needed to be activated.  The front desk called housekeeping and sent someone up to clean the room.  We waited for about a half an hour until it was done.  I chatted with the front desk and the night manager came up to me.  He heard what had happened and offered us free breakfast for the rest of our stay to make up for the inconvenience.  He asked if there was anything else he could do and I told him. "Guarantee an Islanders win against the Red Wings on Sunday."  Of course, he had no secret power to make that happen, but I thought it was worth a try anyway.

I was surprised to learn after the game that the Islanders had only won 7 out of their previous 21 games.  They fell into third place as the Pittsburgh Penguins won their game on Saturday afternoon.  It is important for the Islanders to get back into second place so that they have home ice advantage going into the playoffs.  They have had a real good season and it would be very disappointing to not see some reward for their hard work.  

Next up is one last home game against the Red Wings,  It most likely is my last Nassau Coliseum game.  The hockey g-ds need to come through and give me a convincing win that will turn the season back around for the Islanders and propel them to a deep playoff run.  To go home "Oh for Three" on this Goodbye Trip to the Nassau Coliseum would be devastating to say the least.

The Islanders played another average game.  That will not cut it.  They need to start doing a few of things to get back on the winning track.  First, they need to shake the cobwebs out of their ears and start playing with the passion and urgency that they had earlier in the year.  Secondly, they need to start to throw more pucks on the net.  As mentioned before: Throw puck at net, puck go in....sometimes.  

Lastly, they need to call the Long Island Marriott and have a closed door meeting with the Housekeeping Team.  From this point forward for the rest of the season all hockey player rooms will not be serviced no matter how much they complain.  Trust me, it will get them off their game and will wreck havoc throughout the team.  Hey, at this time of their all bets are off.  We need all the help we can get.