Tampa Bay defeat NY Islanders 4-2 to advance to the Stanley Cup Final

[JoVel]

Agree with everything except this. This series should've been over in 5, even going 6 was miraculous.

I mean we had an OT in game 6 where the Isles had a breakaway, not exactly a stretch to say it could've gone 7.

 

[The S5]

I give a lot of credit to the Bolts for enduring the Isles stifling system. While its effective, its also boring to watch.
Maybe the Isles can make another run but a lot has to go right for that to happen. They just don't have the talent yet. Sorry Isle fans, I'm sure you disagree.
Bolts are going to be tough to beat, especially with Point, and possibly Stamkos, in the line up.
I agree that Hedman is the best all around D in the game, but I also think some are overstating his defensive prowess. I don't think he is the best defender on his own team, but his offensive ability is more than enough to make up for any defensive deficiencies.
Hoping for a great Finals.

 

[CartographerNo611]

Sizzling hot takes, I can feel it.

Clutcherov has one series remaining and has currently one more point than the best scorer last year. Is on pace and probably will end up in Top-5 points total post lockout era hockey. Quite good for a complementary depth guy who can't drive play.

Unless you missed it, there's a not a single player who can "drive play" against these isles.

Kuch has 12 secondary assists which leads the legaue in playoffs. Thats pretty complimentary to me.

Kuch has 8 primary assists. Point has 9, Josh Baily has 13 with zero games left. Mackinnnon has 11, you know, someone who actually drives an entire offense.

Kuch has 6 goals so far.... Mr. Clutch has 1 game winning goal like half the damn players in playoff games its seems like. Kadri has 5 and Radulov has 4, if you want "Clutch."

So yeah, Kuch, is not this god offensive play driver and couldn't drive much if anything against the Islanders for supposedly being on Mcdavids level, or so Tampa fans have been saying for a while now.

 

[Rehabguy]

I don't agree, I think it was pretty lopsided. I took a look at the series stats and Tampa was close to 60% on a lot of things. Exceptional goaltending from Varly (props to Lou for his eye for goalies) kept this series alive. I think NYI only had one game where they actually deserved to win in terms of generating chances and shutting down TBay. I believe it was game 3, when Stamkos, Point and Killorn were all out.

Why do Leaf fans always judge a game by stats? Anyone watching this series would have seen how close this series actually was. Stats can only show the system each team plays. Under Trotz, the Islanders always allowed a lot of shots on goal so long as they were from the perimeter. The Isles were battered after the Flyers series. I expect Tampa may drop the first game to Dallas for the same reason but will recover their game as the series moves on. That said the Islanders embody the concept of teamwork and the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. It is not a team of disjointed individuals only concerned about their paycheck and their individual egos but as a Leaf fan you guys should know that.

 

[Hockey4Life91]

Victor Hedman is a hockey god amongst men.

 

[holy]

Why do Leaf fans always judge a game by stats? Anyone watching this series would have seen how close this series actually was. Stats can only show the system each team plays. Under Trotz, the Islanders always allowed a lot of shots on goal so long as they were from the perimeter. The Isles were battered after the Flyers series. I expect Tampa may drop the first game to Dallas for the same reason but will recover their game as the series moves on. That said the Islanders embody the concept of teamwork and the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. It is not a team of disjointed individuals only concerned about their paycheck and their individual egos but as a Leaf fan you guys should know that.

Never getting to the second round >>>>> Being boring, ughhh god de-fence what is thattttt

 

[serp]

Isles gave up way more actual scoring chance in Game 6 as compared to Game 5 , where i thought both teams had basically nothing , but they also had some great chances themselves. Especially in the third and in OT the Isles had some really good chances to win the game .

Better team overall won but game 6 could've easily gone the Isles way. Wonder how the game would've looked if that awful rebound goal for Hedman doesn't happen.

 

[Legion34]

I don't agree, I think it was pretty lopsided. I took a look at the series stats and Tampa was close to 60% on a lot of things. Exceptional goaltending from Varly (props to Lou for his eye for goalies) kept this series alive. I think NYI only had one game where they actually deserved to win in terms of generating chances and shutting down TBay. I believe it was game 3, when Stamkos, Point and Killorn were all out.

this was the move you have to give lou credit for. I thought it was a massive mistake letting lehner go for varly.

looked like it in rounds 0-2 as well but man varlamov kept it way closer than it was. Lou definitely knows goalies.

 

[Rehabguy]

I give a lot of credit to the Bolts for enduring the Isles stifling system. While its effective, its also boring to watch.
Maybe the Isles can make another run but a lot has to go right for that to happen. They just don't have the talent yet. Sorry Isle fans, I'm sure you disagree.
Bolts are going to be tough to beat, especially with Point, and possibly Stamkos, in the line up.
I agree that Hedman is the best all around D in the game, but I also think some are overstating his defensive prowess. I don't think he is the best defender on his own team, but his offensive ability is more than enough to make up for any defensive deficiencies.
Hoping for a great Finals.

I agree. I'm hoping our young hotshots in Wahlstrom and Bellows blossom to become the offensive threats they were advertised to be. The Isles are grooming them along slowly. But we've all seen how players can develop up to their true potential with players such as Nelson and Bailey. All it takes is a bit of patience.

 

[IslesBro715]

Why do Leaf fans always judge a game by stats? Anyone watching this series would have seen how close this series actually was. Stats can only show the system each team plays. Under Trotz, the Islanders always allowed a lot of shots on goal so long as they were from the perimeter. The Isles were battered after the Flyers series. I expect Tampa may drop the first game to Dallas for the same reason but will recover their game as the series moves on. That said the Islanders embody the concept of teamwork and the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. It is not a team of disjointed individuals only concerned about their paycheck and their individual egos but as a Leaf fan you guys should know that.

They don't care about winning, it's just not in that franchise's DNA.

I'm sure that Stars fans are upset with Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin as well, right? Say what you want, our style of play works and that's what matters. I can care less if Barzal puts up 0 pts as long as we are winning whereas Leafs fans can care less if they are losing as long as Matthews puts up 50 goals.

 

[The Wahligator]

This series wouldn't have gone more than 4 with a healthy Brayden Point. Even with the imbalance in injuries, Tampa still vastly outplayed NYI in every category except hits. Only one of the games was truly competitive outside incredible goaltending from NYI's keepers.

As expected, NYI finally faced a contender and it was a hard fought but overall lopsided series.

Isles took Tampa further than Boston did, would you say the same about them?

 

[Tahoeblue]

I give a lot of credit to the Bolts for enduring the Isles stifling system. While its effective, its also boring to watch.
Maybe the Isles can make another run but a lot has to go right for that to happen. They just don't have the talent yet. Sorry Isle fans, I'm sure you disagree.
Bolts are going to be tough to beat, especially with Point, and possibly Stamkos, in the line up.
I agree that Hedman is the best all around D in the game, but I also think some are overstating his defensive prowess. I don't think he is the best defender on his own team, but his offensive ability is more than enough to make up for any defensive deficiencies.
Hoping for a great Finals.

As an Isle fan, I believe most will agree with you. A lot of things need to line up for another run and the absence of a goal scorer and game breaker are evident. We are hoping for Wahlstrom to be that guy and for the team to be able to develop their drafted talent. UFA's may still be wary plus the Isles are up against the cap. Most disappointing was the pp in overtime. They handled the puck like a grenade and seemed to play timid.

 

[AvroArrow]

I mean we had an OT in game 6 where the Isles had a breakaway, not exactly a stretch to say it could've gone 7.

What i meant was the Isles were badly outplayed in every game except 1 this series, and just looking at the two teams play it should've been 4-1, but the best team doesn't always win. The only reason game 5 and 6 went to OT was Varlamov. The level of play between the players was not remotely close. Neither game 5 or 6 had any business going to OT. The one goal NYI scored was a terrible play by Vasilevsky, and Varlamov was probably the only reason they had a chance last night. Tampa Bay is just way too good this year, other than Boston i don't think anyone would've had a chance against them this post-season.

 

[serp]

What i meant was the Isles were badly outplayed in every game except 1 this series, and just looking at the two teams play it should've been 4-1, but the best team doesn't always win. The only reason game 5 and 6 went to OT was Varlamov. The level of play between the players was not remotely close. Neither game 5 or 6 had any business going to OT. The one goal NYI scored was a terrible play by Vasilevsky, and Varlamov was probably the only reason they had a chance last night. Tampa Bay is just way too good this year, other than Boston i don't think anyone would've had a chance against them this post-season.

I don't think the Isles got outplayed in game 5 . That game deserved no winner both teams played awful.

 

[Merrrlin]

Dobson was a bright spot in all this, I thought he looked cool, calm and collected, and should be ready to step into regular minutes next season.

Defensively he looked a bit behind the player, but his skating and size gets him out of trouble (ala Theodore) and he seems to have great offensive instincts.

 

[Sgooter]

Glad that Tampa won. But you gotta admit that anytime you go into a sudden death overtime, it's a toss up as to who will be the lucky winner. We were lucky this time.

 

[Gjman2019]

Trotz has them pretty close to championship contention...They should be in the mix for the next few years....They put lots of pressure on the opponent at both ends of the ice and he has much more to work with offensively than he had in Nashville........Islanders forwards are underrated.....

 

[SI90]

That's true, the Islanders did have either the best or 2nd best PDO in the playoffs. Gotta be lucky to be good.

 

[DRAGO 18]

Congratulations to the Lightning--looking forward to an entertaining Stanley Cup Final

 

[Sgt Schultz]

I'm not trying to get metaphysical here, but the Isles are a team that looks like there is no way they can win a best of seven series against a team like Tampa. But, when you then consider that they could hang with the Lightning long enough to post four wins out of seven, it suddenly is not a stretch. Some teams are like that: they can stymie the opponent long enough for four games in a series to look like they stole it. In reality, they just played well enough or had enough things (like goaltending) go right to make it work.

I was not really surprised they made it to the ECF, just for that reason. Playing a strongly disciplined style is boring, but plays well in a best of seven series.

Dallas is similar, I think. There was no way they could win the series against Vegas, if you think about a series as a single thing. But any four random games out of seven......sure. They hang around, do things that will get an opponent talking to itself, and play well against the strengths of a team like Vegas, or Tampa for that matter. If they get hot goaltending or a line that goes crazy, suddenly it is a different thing.

Some teams are like that. They can beat anybody on any given night. The thought of them doing that in a series is almost too much to buy into. But is anybody surprised when they do it for just four games over almost two weeks? Usually they fall short, as the Isles did this year. But, is anybody else old enough to remember the 1995 New Jersey Devils (who did it in four straight in the Finals)? The 2012 Kings?

 

[Harvey Spector]

Interesting to care about Aquilini.

Aquilini is the best owner Vancouver has ever had. Turned our team around and made it a powerhouse for almost a decade. Between the WestCoast Express and the Sedins we had a chance to win at least 2 Cups. Aquilini spent the money and gave us the players to do it. He's a local owner who allowed the team to stay in Vancouver. With McCaw as owner this team would have ended up somewhere in the States. Luckily we had a local guy with the cash to buy the team and keep it here in Vancouver forever.

 

[PaulGG]

We won and virtually everyone expected it. Isles have much to be proud of in defeat as they were very hard to play against , especially Valarmov. Usually game one doesn’t mean a lot but this case it Did as NYI totally spotted Tampa 1-0 with a horrible start. All the other games were so close.

 

[c9777666]

I mean we had an OT in game 6 where the Isles had a breakaway, not exactly a stretch to say it could've gone 7.

A SHORTHANDED breakaway!

 

[c9777666]

The unpredictability of playoff hockey- on a Tampa team with so many big names and stars, the series winning connection that sent them to the final was Goodrow to Cirelli. Just as we all predicted.

Point and Hedman scoring the CBJ/BOS series winners was hardly a shock. Cirelli might be the most unlikely player to score a conference final ending goal since............. Matteau?

 

[Sky04]

I give a lot of credit to the Bolts for enduring the Isles stifling system. While its effective, its also boring to watch.
Maybe the Isles can make another run but a lot has to go right for that to happen. They just don't have the talent yet. Sorry Isle fans, I'm sure you disagree.
Bolts are going to be tough to beat, especially with Point, and possibly Stamkos, in the line up.
I agree that Hedman is the best all around D in the game, but I also think some are overstating his defensive prowess. I don't think he is the best defender on his own team, but his offensive ability is more than enough to make up for any defensive deficiencies.
Hoping for a great Finals.

His defense has been carrying this team just as much as his offense. Who do you think has performed better defensively? Hedman has only been on the ice for 4 5v5 goals against in 19 games.