Islanders Playoff News: Next opponent ?; Big-Time Beau; Elimination day

Friday’s series win was satisfying to watch from start to finish. The Islanders let the Panthers only play in the game before the first goal and after Florida’s lone goal on the power play.

In the review of Game 4, I noticed, in the Up Next section, that we did not know who the Islanders would play in the First Round and that we would know on the latest Sunday night. That’s still true, but the situation changed yesterday at the end of the day.

Thanks to the Canadiens oyster of the Penguins (more on that hilarity below, LMAO), we know the Islanders will be the no. 6 seeds in the First Round, locked up in a match-up with the no. 3 sied. It no. 3 seed will be where ever from the Capitals as the Bruins win their round robin game on Sunday. So, we have to wait a few more days, but we know it will not be the Flyers or Lightning.

To this I will say this: last season, the Islands painted the Penguins (LMAO) and managed to beat the winner of the Carolina-Washington series, who eventually ran the distance. I thought from the get-go that it was the then-defending champion Caps, first in the Metro division and loaded with explosive talent and winning experience. But I had hoped for the Hurricanes, assuming they would be an easier out. They had skill and a good, energetic system, but were young and lacking, so I thought, the elite-scoring ability that the capitals had.

I got my wish. I yelled and hoofed and watched Canes take Game 7 on the road in overtime. And we saw how that turned out. That I refuse to “hope” to face more than one team in the next round. Well, I just hope the Islanders prepare well and win the series they are saddled with.

I wait, with open arms, from Washington or Boston.

Islanders News

Recaps from the Game 4 clincher: LHH | Islanders | News Day | NHL | NYI Skinny

• Mr. Barry Trotz talks about the all-encompassing solidity of victory:

• The key to the game, incoming, was to stay the course. The islands did just that, and then something. [The Athletic]

• Anthony Beauvillier, who was critical of today’s win and overall the series win, just had fun out there. [Newsday]

• He has been a luminaire and shows an opportunity to get through in clutch situations. [Islanders]
• He and his good buddy, Mathew Barzal, will have to maintain this level of play and consistency if the Islanders are to make a comeback here. [The Athletic]
• Hey! Let’s hear from these two guys their thoughts on the win:

• With the Islanders 3 up 3-1 yesterday, Aleksander Barkov was robbed of an insecure goal in a wide open net by the stick of one diver Ryan Pulock. [Newsday]
• Some Florida qualifier record numbers: New York brought 1:20:01 of 2:40:00 of the series (just over half, for your mathematicians) with a lead, but only 0:31:43 of the series trailing. [Islanders]
• LOOK: View some photos from a memorable Game 4 win. [Newsday] While you’re at it, check out some of the highlights of the win as well. [Newsday]
• Our old puppy pal, Radar, found his goal: he was paired with a 16-year-old swimmer. [Islanders]
• This is what happens when you are the only successful of nine NYC Metro Area teams: you get the Empire State Building all to yourself, even if you are from Long Island. (Yankees fans, don’t yell at me.)

Elimination Bonanza from Friday

All six games on Friday were elimination games – in just one of those games, the team on the edge knocked it off, and the team that did it looked dead and buried. Yesterday’s NHL results were, in chronological order:

• The 11th-seeded Coyotes who finish the 6-seeded Predators in four games with a win for overrun;
• The 12-seeded Habs tied the 5-seeded pens out of the bubble (on Sidney Crosby’s birthday!) In a Game 4 that remained scoreless for more than 55 minutes before Montreal broke through and helped Carey Price complete his shutout. ;
• The 12-seeded Blackhawks who send the 5th-seeded Oilers out of their own arena in Game 4;
• The Maple Leafs reversed the 3-0 meltdown against the Blue Jackets on Thursday by erasing a 3-0 deficit of their own in the final four minutes of regulation before Game 5 was forced with an OT win; en
• The Canucks won their series against the Wild: 11 in overtime of Game 4 after chasing and returning multiple times in the game.

Beyond the Blue and Orange and the Playoffs

• The Islanders killed a boy: the Panthers are expected to share ways with longtime General Manager and President of Hockey Operations Dale Tallon following their defeat in the qualifiers. [Sportsnet]
• The Seattle Kraken will have the first Black full-time NHL team play-by-play announcer in Everett Fitzhugh. [NHL | The Athletic]
• The Wild’s Kevin Fiala is still navigating his newfound hockey star space. [ESPN]
• His teammate, Minnesota goalkeeper Alex Stalock, loves to talk and stopped doing so until his team was eliminated. [The Athletic]
• According to Eric Duhatschek, the fit for a top pick coming to a new team is important and he has some ideas about the best fit for Alexis Lafreniere. [The Athletic]
• The Always Good DGB Grab Bag: Playoff Week 1 Edition. [The Athletic]
• And finally in the Fun section: players do not have to stick to a strict dress code in the bubble as they normally would. But their fashion choices are all over the map. [ESPN]