2020 ECF: Tampa Bay Lightning vs. New York Islanders | TBL leads 3-2 (Pt.2)

[TheAngryHank]

Nowadays, players are trained to stay in the lane. You have a better chance of surviving that 2-1 if you prevent the pass and make the shooter shoot.

Always been like that ,goalie has the puck carrier and Dman job is to stop any pass.

 

[mm11]

The Bolts play stifling defense along with having supreme firepower. tough team to beat but somehow the isles are clawing back. If Point in laboring in game 6 the isles have a puncher's chance

 

[Vasilevskiy]

The only reason why I suspected rib or groin because of how Pelech pinned him in game 3 and he collapsed like he couldn’t put pressure on his leg. Kucherov as well is pretty banged up and didn’t seem too much like himself after his injury scare last night. It’ll be an interesting 1/2 games to see what lineups show up tomorrow (and Saturday if necessary).

Kuch is fine. We've seen him play hundreds of times, we know when he's off his game and so far he's not. Doesn't look injured if he is.

 

[FourRings]

No doubt. I think he'll play so long as he can walk. Cooper doesn't want this going 7, and we're clearly a much less dangerous team when he's out of our line-up. Point at 70% is still our best center, apparently.

Yeah, he’s a huge loss. I just wonder how effective he will be. He had a really rough time getting over the boards and skating after that Pelech hit. He’s got a problem with his hip/hip flexor. It looked really bad G4.

 

[DFC]

The only reason why I suspected rib or groin because of how Pelech pinned him in game 3 and he collapsed like he couldn’t put pressure on his leg. Kucherov as well is pretty banged up and didn’t seem too much like himself after his injury scare last night. It’ll be an interesting 1/2 games to see what lineups show up tomorrow (and Saturday if necessary).

By late in the game, I thought Kuch was back to himself. He was attacking the Isles' D, which is always a good sign with him. Kucherov can become too predictable by trying to be unpredictable all the time, which leads to all the extra passes and flinging the puck on net from weird angles (this often works though). When he's really on his game, he sometimes tries to go straight through the defender.

The Point injury is a weird one. One he got up, he looked labored, but I wouldn't quite call it limping. Groin injuries can be tricky (I suspect this is what's up with Stamkos), and sometimes they're more about an ability to lift your leg rather than put weight on it. And maybe that's why he looked "labored." But he might also have just been in pain. It's a tough one to read. But throughout Game 4, he looked uncomfortable, but not all that much slower. Maybe 5%-10%?

I think/hope we held him out of the last game because of the lead we had. Like, even with a loss, we'd still be ahead, which wasn't the case in Game 3 when he was held out. We're a different team when he's in the line-up, obviously.

 

[BMOK33]

The Bolts play stifling defense along with having supreme firepower. tough team to beat but somehow the isles are clawing back. If Point in laboring in game 6 the isles have a puncher's chance

I feel the only way the Isles win this series is Varlamov becoming 2010 Halak and or Vas turning into a pumpkin

 

[DFC]

Yeah, he’s a huge loss. I just wonder how effective he will be. He had a really rough time getting over the boards and skating after that Pelech hit. He’s got a problem with his hip/hip flexor. It looked really bad G4.

He had surgery on both hips last year, so that's troubling if true. We're hoping it's something else, but chances are it's a hip...

Whatever the case, we really need him to go. Cirelli's also not playing at 100% (yesterday was the first game where he's actually looked pretty fast), so we're down our top two centers, and the guy who takes over 1C duties is about 80% as effective as what we're used to, if that. Definitely a big problem, and nobody should be counting NYI out yet.

 

[beach]

Isles generated very little in this game 5v5. That doesn't really bode well for them moving forward.

Tampa wins comfortably in game 6.

I predicted Carolina in 3. Comfortably.

 

[BMOK33]

He had surgery on both hips last year, so that's troubling if true. We're hoping it's something else, but chances are it's a hip...

Whatever the case, we really need him to go. Cirelli's also not playing at 100% (yesterday was the first game where he's actually looked pretty fast), so we're down our top two centers, and the guy who takes over 1C duties is about 80% as effective as what we're used to, if that. Definitely a big problem, and nobody should be counting NYI out yet.

At the end of the day this is why I don’t like small players like Point or Skinner. They can sometimes come in blazing but league will adjust after a few seasons. See Skinner for example who reinvented his game once opposing teams solved him and now is a legit top player again. Smaller guys will always suffer more injuries and breakdown. All that said I would take Point on the Islanders any time

 

[beach]

You’ll get 5 or 6 to 1 betting Islanders so go put your money where your mouth is.


Btw Point is coming back tomorrow. How does that make you feel?

I'm a bit hungry. Thanks for asking.

 

[DFC]

At the end of the day this is why I don’t like small players like Point or Skinner. They can sometimes come in blazing but league will adjust after a few seasons. See Skinner for example who reinvented his game once opposing teams solved him and now is a legit top player again. Smaller guys will always suffer more injuries and breakdown. All that said I would take Point on the Islanders any time

I think there are pros and cons. A lot of smaller players have longer careers because there are certain injuries (bad backs) that tend to hit larger players a little bit disproportionately.

Point plays a throwback style. He looks like late 90s Steve Yzerman--the skills of a finesse player, but the attitude of a grinder. He's pretty fearless in traffic. Maybe that doesn't bode well for his longevity. For right now, we need somebody who can play that way. As good as Palat and Kucherov look, every other center on the team is currently an anchor.

 

[wingnutks]

Yeah, he’s a huge loss. I just wonder how effective he will be. He had a really rough time getting over the boards and skating after that Pelech hit. He’s got a problem with his hip/hip flexor. It looked really bad G4.

100% this. When I saw him crawling over the boards using his shins instead of throwing one leg over and then the other, I immediately thought hip. I was actually surprised he came back in game 4.

 

[DFC]

100% this. When I saw him crawling over the boards using his shins instead of throwing one leg over and then the other, I immediately thought hip. I was actually surprised he came back in game 4.

He was very effective in that game though.

 

[c9777666]

I feel the only way the Isles win this series is Varlamov becoming 2010 Halak and or Vas turning into a pumpkin

Which would be incredibly ironic for Varlamov was the opposing goalie against Halak

 

[Hockeyholic]

The Bolts play stifling defense along with having supreme firepower. tough team to beat but somehow the isles are clawing back. If Point in laboring in game 6 the isles have a puncher's chance

I doubt Point plays game 6.

 

[ThreeLeftSkates]

You’ll get 5 or 6 to 1 betting Islanders so go put your money where your mouth is.


Btw Point is coming back tomorrow. How does that make you feel?

Like he will get hurt again by a nothing hit, just like last time.

 

[mm11]

I doubt Point plays game 6.

Bummer for the Tampa fans. It's a ware of attrition out there. Last team standing I guess. Isles have chance

 

[U55]

It seems the lightning outplay the islanders even with point out, but the lightning don't finish as well without point, so this series is up for grabs. No excuses, either win or go home, injuries are something every team has to deal with.

 

[CupsOverCash]

Maybe that guy was right about size. We cant ever seem to get through the Stanley cup tournament without one of our best players being hurt. Its like we are cursed or maybe we just choose too small of lineups?

 

[wingnutks]

Maybe that guy was right about size. We cant ever seem to get through the Stanley cup tournament without one of our best players being hurt. Its like we are cursed or maybe we just choose too small of lineups?

I remember someone on here doing some research into different teams medical/training staff and there seemed to be some correlation with injuries and training staff.

 

[CupsOverCash]

I remember someone on here doing some research into different teams medical/training staff and there seemed to be some correlation with injuries and training staff.

The Lightning needed to get out of that game with a win because from the start I knew we didn't want to get into a long series with the islanders because their big guys could put a hurt on our small guys and they have. Longer it goes the more it favors teams like the islanders. Get that next game I would bet on the islanders coming back to win game 7.

 

[ryerockarola]

He was very effective in that game though.

Up until he got hit and didn't play anymore he was effective.

 

[Whoshattenkirkshoes]

Like he will get hurt again by a nothing hit, just like last time.

his leg did get squeezed it wasn't a "nothing" hit

 

[Sgooter]

After last season, Point underwent labral repair surgery on both hips. Wonder if he's had a recurrence of this injury? Sure hope not...could impact his career.

 

[Master P]

Talking to the referee is understandable. Putting on a theatrical performance is not.

Lol, you really that upset over him reacting that way in the heat of the moment? Get over it.