The Islanders are in the exact same position they were in two weeks ago against Pittsburgh, tied in the series 2-2 following an inspiring Game 4 win at home and facing a critical Game 5 on the road.
The Bruins are a much tougher opponent than Pittsburgh, but I think the Isles can do it if Barzal stays hot and they play like they did in the third period Saturday when they smothered Boston.
I'm very pleased with the early 6:30 start, just in case we get another OT!
And wow is Cassidy a whiner! When they win they played well, and when they lose the refs are against them. I hope he keeps bitching about the refs so his teams focus is on how the deck is stacked against them.
LGI!!!
Don’t get baited into anything. Stay the course and play your game, aisles!
LGI!!!
Close it out Wednesday in 6!
just sayin....
depends on his health. He got hurt in game 2 I think. He didnt skate this morning and i thought he wasnt himself early. rebounds and little misplays on the puck outside of the crease. just didnt seem like the rask from the other games
They should be calm and confident going into game 6. That and the crowd should be enough to put this team behind us.
LGI!!!
Boston media/fans complaining about the refs is a joke. They are a dirty team and are getting what they deserve.
Game 6 might as well practically be game 7. Isles need to close this out on Wednesday.
"I think they sell a narrative over there it's more like the New York Saints, not the New York Islanders. The exact calls that are getting called on us are not getting called on them. I don't know why. You got the exact same high sticks... You just hope they'd see them."
I love that their coach is that distracted going into game 6.
Keep focusing on the refs, Bruce. Good idea.
Boston took 194 minor penalties in the regular season. Isles took 130. This series there’s been 12 called in Boston and 9 on the Islanders.
How can anyone be surprised by what’s happening in this series? Boston is just being themselves
Hey Ref. Check your woicemail. You missed some calls.
WTGI
Boston has a lot more scoring skill that the Islanders. While the top line is still managing to score, the second line has been largely absent because they don’t play that game well. Now their backs are against the wall and they know there is just more coming on Wednesday.
Call one of the least penalized teams in the league dirty. Rant about a conspiracy to keep propping up the team everyone thinks is boring. It’s all just to distract how he set up his own team for failure in this series by playing exactly how the Islanders wanted them to play.
This ^^^^
Lets go New York Saints!!!!
YES! YES! YES! YES!
End this in a big way tomorrow.
It's the same way Trotz called Bergeron a cheater at the circle a day before.
Islanders have had a rabbit's foot in their back pocket, we'll see how long it lasts.
Rask should have come with with the first goal and 4th goal IMO, if you're going to be a top flight goalie.
And he is a top flight goalie, but for whatever reason Rask will have these games - esp in big games - where he doesn't come up large.
I thought pulling him was a good idea, esp if he's not 100% and we know a goalie pull sometimes sparks a team. It almost worked.
Not sure what the management is thinking but I think they'll let Rask go and start go with Swayman and a vet net year.
Rask is older and starting to show injury cracks.......great career though.
It's the same way Trotz called Bergeron a cheater at the circle a day before.
Islanders have had a rabbit's foot in their back pocket, we'll see how long it lasts.
The penalty discrepancy should have been a lot larger if the refs had called Marchand's slash on Beau which directly caused first goal, Lauzon tackling an Islander, Ritchie's elbow to Mayfield. How about reducing an obvious spear to a slashing minor. The Islanders averaged well under 3 minors per game during the regular season got called for 2, the Bruins averaged approximately 4 minors per game during the regular season got called for 4.
Islanders have had a rabbit's foot in their back pocket, we'll see how long it lasts.
What about this series has been "lucky" for the Islanders?
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Islanders have had a rabbit's foot in their back pocket, we'll see how long it lasts.
What about this series has been "lucky" for the Islanders?
Everything. the teams we beat are always the better team and get unlucky bounces and calls.
Cheating is cheating and it seems to be a Boston sports team thing. Butch has been calling out Bergeron all season, even in the regular season games.
Some folks look at the shot numbers and say "oh wow they are lucky to win when they get outshot 40-20" without realizing that happens night after night for the Islanders and they are built that way. It is not an anomaly that will regress to the norm since it has existed for the last 3 years.
And if it is the penalty discrepancy, my question would be why would you expect the penalties to even out when one team is one of the most penalized teams in the league, and one is one of the least penalized?
Hockey is the only sport I have ever seen where people think a well officiated game is one where the power plays are evenly distributed.
Not sure why it's up for debate. In addition to an outrageous shot discrepancy, Marchand also missed an open net on that wrap around, plus they rung two posts. Almost no one wins a Stanley Cup without stealing a game they didn't deserve.
It's possible to acknowledge it without apologizing for it.
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...and is just trying to work the refs, from the standpoint he feels he's not getting the calls.
It's the same way Trotz called Bergeron a cheater at the circle a day before.
Islanders have had a rabbit's foot in their back pocket, we'll see how long it lasts.
The penalty discrepancy should have been a lot larger if the refs had called Marchand's slash on Beau which directly caused first goal, Lauzon tackling an Islander, Ritchie's elbow to Mayfield. How about reducing an obvious spear to a slashing minor. The Islanders averaged well under 3 minors per game during the regular season got called for 2, the Bruins averaged approximately 4 minors per game during the regular season got called for 4.
Good point on the spear to the nuts of Barzy. That was a fucking joke.
Not sure why it's up for debate. In addition to an outrageous shot discrepancy, Marchand also missed an open net on that wrap around, plus they rung two posts. Almost no one wins a Stanley Cup without stealing a game they didn't deserve.
It's possible to acknowledge it without apologizing for it.
I will admit without shame the Isles stole both game 5's in the last two series. They were severely outplayed last night and stole the win. Its what good teams do on the road. Now lock it up at home.
Marchand missed a wide open cage because he rushed his shot. Is that Islander luck or Marchand mistake? Are mistakes by teams always lucky?
To me, luck is a dump in along the boards hitting the zamboni door and popping in front of the net for an easy goal. Something you had no right to expect and nothing to do with skill or plan.
A guy whiffing on a shot or a WR dropping a pass in his chest when he is wide open? I wouldn't consider that luck.
Was Montreal "lucky" that Scheifele missed 3 games against them? I don't think most would classify opponent idiocy as luck.
Yes, Marchand "rushed" the shot, I suppose. How many times would you expect Marchand to miss that shot.
And all this excludes the fact shots were 44-20. The Bruins had 76 attempts. I don't even know why you feel apologetic about it and want to argue it. Of course they were lucky. That doesn't mean they're undeserving or that they're incapable of winning more hockey games.
Every team that wins has some degree of luck. Playing hard generates luck. Not sure why you are suggesting I am apologizing for it. I just think the terminology is silly.
Every team that wins has some degree of luck. Playing hard generates luck. Not sure why you are suggesting I am apologizing for it. I just think the terminology is silly.
We actually are defining it the same. Because I agree with you, of course the Giants weren't lucky because of one single play (the dropped INT). It was a dead even game that came down to a play or two and we made them.
This isn't that. The Bruins manhandled the Islanders and lost. When we say the shots were 44-19 and the attempts were 76-37, that's not referencing a single odd play and pinning the entire fortune or misfortune on it. That's just referencing how the Bruins were a dominant force and deserved to win the game (and would win the game 95+ percent of the time). When I bring up the Marchand miss and the two posts, that's just adding additional color to the story, but it's not the story itself.
If the Islanders played a relatively even game and Marchand hits that post, and people call the Islanders lucky because of it, I'm right there with you calling it silly. But again, this ain't that.
If the Isles lost every time they were badly outshot they would never sniff the playoffs. They have been losing the analytics battle pretty much since Trotz arrived. I am arguing that the story of this game was not the Bruins dominating and the Isles somehow winning because of some puck luck.
If the Isles lost every time they were badly outshot they would never sniff the playoffs. They have been losing the analytics battle pretty much since Trotz arrived. I am arguing that the story of this game was not the Bruins dominating and the Isles somehow winning because of some puck luck.
Are you saying that the Bruins weren't dominant last night?
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is the idea that number of shots is somehow indicative of dominating the game. Yes, last night at 5 on 5 Boston carried the play. The Bruins had far more scoring chances at even strength. But the Islanders got much better goal tending, and had far fewer stupid penalties, had far fewer defensive breakdowns, and dominated special teams.
If the Isles lost every time they were badly outshot they would never sniff the playoffs. They have been losing the analytics battle pretty much since Trotz arrived. I am arguing that the story of this game was not the Bruins dominating and the Isles somehow winning because of some puck luck.
Are you saying that the Bruins weren't dominant last night?
At 5 on 5 they outplayed the Islanders by a wide margin. I said that in my last post.
But they got poor goaltending, played poor defense, and took stupid penalties. That offset most of their 5 on 5 advantage.
I would imagine Cassidy has no comment.
Rask, if healthy, we lose that game 4-3, maybe 4-2. If it wasn't my team facing him, I'd feel bad for him. Bruins defense didn't do him many favors though, I mean it's nice to give up only 19 or 20 shots but if 11-12 of them are high danger then sometimes this result happens.
The crying about penalties is so fucking pathetic. Statistics show not only are the Bruins one of the highest penalized teams all year, the Islanders are I believe third least. This isn't some fluke, although I would certainly agree the refs last night sucked. They just sucked for everyone.
Their blue line without Carlo and Miller is totally exposed. The isles got wide open looks right between the hash marks.
The story is balanced depth VS elite top end. We'll see who wins.
Rask, if healthy, we lose that game 4-3, maybe 4-2. If it wasn't my team facing him, I'd feel bad for him. Bruins defense didn't do him many favors though, I mean it's nice to give up only 19 or 20 shots but if 11-12 of them are high danger then sometimes this result happens.
The crying about penalties is so fucking pathetic. Statistics show not only are the Bruins one of the highest penalized teams all year, the Islanders are I believe third least. This isn't some fluke, although I would certainly agree the refs last night sucked. They just sucked for everyone.
This is exactly it. You have to look at all aspects of the game, not how the Bergeron line played.
On Bailey's goal he was standing all alone in front of Rask with all day to shoot. Palmieri camped out on the top of the crease and simply waited for the puck to come to him. Eberle scored on a cross crease pass that he settled before he even had to shoot it.
It's wonderful to dominate for 50 minutes, but when you play like absolute dog shit for the other 10, did you really "deserve" to win?
The Pasternak-Bergeron-Marchand line deserved to win. The Bruins team did not.