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.