GDT: #7| New York Islanders @ Tampa Bay Lightning | June 25TH | 8:00 PM | F/L 1-0

[Richie Daggers Crime]

Rookies are always scrutinized more in Trotz's system. Who am I to argue?

Rookies are scrutinized more under any system that is attempting to win.

 

[Tres Peleches]

Ah, I see you are a fan of the reductive straw man argument. I never said anything of the sort.

My example of Aho vs Pelech was to prove that a better defensive player can have value over a better offensive player. And that the argument that we have plenty of those types is flawed.

But OK, the lesson we should have learned from the last road game against TB where we gave up 8 goals was we should sacrifice defense for offense. Got it.

You win exactly 0% of NHL playoff games where you score 0 goals

 

[Seph]

You win exactly 0% of NHL playoff games where you score 0 goals

And you honestly think Trotz was not aware of this? Come on dude, you are just being ridiculous now.

 

[CupsOverCash]

Tampa fan here in peace. I thought yall would take us this time especially after game 6. With that said you can keep your head high because I think you will be back. Just add a little more up front and get lee back and your good to go. Love your coach too he knows what he is doing. Improve the talent a wee bit more and I don't know who can beat you.

 

[BMOK33]

This team still probably is not even making a final til they get 2 more elite or semi elite scorers. Obviously you can get some breaks like this year where you draw one bad goalie and an injured goalie but still they were going to have to beat who I feel is the 2nd or 3rd best goalie on the planet in the final despite the team around him sucking. Montreal probably is an automatic 4 or 5 game win if this team had a Panarin or 2 other top guys, instead it would have been a coinflip probably

 

[doublechili]

Good thing you weren’t around for 1979. You would have been a mess.

We lost in the semi-finals 3 consecutive years, then were upset in game 7 OT at home in the quarterfinals in '78, and then lost in '79 in the semi-finals again... to the NYR. That was pretty bad at the time, and I'm glad there was no internet! I heard fans in the stands calling for the heads of Arbour, Torrey, and half the players.

The reason? The team wasn't good enough yet. They learned by losing. Their young players matured. And they swapped out guys who maybe weren't Cup level players for guys who were. And I think that's exactly where the team is today. I'm still optimistic. Let's win a Cup in the new arena.

 

[Tres Peleches]

And you honestly think Trotz was not aware of this? Come on dude, you are just being ridiculous now.

I’m just stating my opinion that Wahlstrom would have made them a more balanced team. You’re the one who decided to jump down my throat over it

 

[Seph]

I’m just stating my opinion that Wahlstrom would have made them a more balanced team. You’re the one who decided to jump down my throat over it

LOL, more revisionist history. I was talking to a different poster entirely, and disagreeing with their notion that playing Leo was "indefensible." Then you started replying to me and jumping down my throat about that opinion.

If you agree that playing Leo was a defendable decision but simply had a different preference, why are you still arguing with my claim that it was defendable?

 

[joekono]

People forget the Isles beat FL in 2016 basically carried by Tavares; he is an elite talent that we do not have in large supply, and possibly could have helped us.

Even if TBL had 20 men out there, we still did not score a goal all game, and did not even get much of a push until the last 5-7 minutes or so of the game. They needed to be that hyper-aggressive from the puck drop at the start of the game.

I've already pointed out what I consider Trotz' errors in judgement, stubborness to make line changes, etc earlier in this thread.

If there is any rules-related issues I'd like the league to address, I'd like to see:

1-vasilevsky's michellin-man/tent of a chest protector and other ridiculously oversized gear reduced to a rational size. MLB is finally cracking down on pitchers' use of sticky substances, the NHL can stop the BS with goalies wearing Barnum and Bailey circus tents

2-call the penalties consistently; what is a penalty during the regular season should be called in the playoffs, and throughout the game, no matter when. And warn the officials that "game management" - trying to balance calls can never be tolerated.

This!

 

[joekono]

Nah, I disagree. I think if we had won last night, we were winning the cup. That is why this is so devastating. It was not just a semifinal loss, knowing we still had to face Colorado or something. This was a semifinal loss where the final opponent would have been a huge step down in class. You might never get this kind of chance at the cup again. The last time the Isles were in the cup finals I was 3 years old. And I am not getting younger 37 years later. This really felt like the year and it is heartbreaking to have fallen essentially one (too many men on the ice) goal short.

This is why I'm still hurting from this loss. There's no doubt we would have beaten the Habs and that's why I referred to Game 7 as the Superbowl. Not only did we deal with the three teams that have been in the Finals since 2015(except Trotz's Cup), we would've been a huge favorite in the Finals WITH HOME ICE. Satan'sIsland81, you were 3 so obviously didn't get to enjoy the 4 Cup run but I was 11 in 1980 and enjoyed every one of those seasons. I never thought that May night in 1983 would be the last Cup I would see from the Islanders(again, expanding like crazy doesn't help), but even though I saw those Cups, I'm now on 39 years waiting(52 now) and if this core doesn't win it, a rebuild would take a long time. Now, 82 games and 3 rounds just to get back to where we just were, IF we get there. Satan'sIsland81, I hope you don't have to wait as long as I've been waiting.

 

[BelovedIsles]

After some time to reflect, still quite saddened by the outcome. They looked like a team that was scared of a game 7 that would send them to the Finals. They looked inexperienced and passive, much different than game 6.

Once again, these 7 games highlighted a true need for scoring. You can’t expect to win, even within the best defensive systems, consistently scoring 0,1, and 2 goals.

If not for Varly, that would’ve been a 5-0 defeat. Anyway, I appreciate what this team has given us, but it’s time to raise the bar and become authentic Cup threats.

 

[Instant]

This is why I'm still hurting from this loss. There's no doubt we would have beaten the Habs and that's why I referred to Game 7 as the Superbowl. Not only did we deal with the three teams that have been in the Finals since 2015(except Trotz's Cup), we would've been a huge favorite in the Finals WITH HOME ICE.

Yeah, people never learn Montreal was supposed to lose agains Toronto, get swept against Jets, not win even one game against Vegas/Avs and here they are, in the Stanley Cup Finals, while we're out of the playoffs.

There's no doubt only about the fact that people here love their hot takes.