NOW AVAILABLE! New York Islanders: A to Z will introduce a new generation of fans to the legendary players, magical moments, and colorful 50-year history of the Islanders.
Contributions from Brendan Burke, Stan Fischler, Chris King, and Jiggs McDonald.
You can purchase it HERE
Last night I was a guest on Hockey Night in New York to talk about the book, the Islanders playoff push, and Shakira being at UBS Arena. Thanks to Sean Cuthbert and Chris Botta for having me on. It was a blast and a fun chat.
A portion of the proceeds goes to the Islanders Children’s Foundation.
Good Morning, Islanders Country.
Everything was just a little off on Saturday night.
The Islanders played a game that, based on the underlying advanced metrics, was good enough to win; they had the edge in Corsi, Fenwick, and expected goals. Now before half of you roll your eyes, I get it, winning is all that matters, but this wasn’t a full-blown stinker or no-show performance. That’s all I’m saying.
But despite the story, the advanced stats say below; it never felt like they had the advantage during the game versus the Washington Capitals. They couldn’t withstand rhythm or momentum, thanks to a combination of untimely penalties and their inability to get shots through to the net. It may be hard to believe that the Isles had more scoring chances and high-danger chances than the Caps in a 5-1 loss, but it would be true.
The swings in emotions during the playoff pushes can change quickly, can’t they?
One moment, you’re prepared to accept a loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins before they complete an improbable multi-goal third-period comeback. Then you’re anticipating carrying that momentum and burying the Capitals at home, and instead, you get a performance that, in the end, makes you a bit nervous heading into an always tricky west coast trip.
It’s going to stay this way until the final games of the season. Nothing is guaranteed; nothing you see in one game is a predictor of what will happen the next time. One night The Math and the scoreboard are your friends; the next night, they’re your foe. It is what it is; we have no choice but to “enjoy” the ride.
Coming up, Pierre Engvall gets on the scoresheet, but no one else as Cal Clutterbuck returns to the lineup. Plus, the Isles unexpectedly keep having more expected goals than their opponents; Ruslan Iskhakov is a shootout savant, ‘Easy Ed’ announces his retirement, and MJF plays the heel.
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