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Good Morning, Islanders Country.
The biggest game of the season is tonight at UBS Arena.
No one had a home game in March against the Montreal Canadiens circled on their calendars before the start of the season, and as recent as 12 days ago, there was reason to wonder whether there would be any big games left for the Islanders after trading Brock Nelson to the Colorado Avalanche at the trade deadline.
Yet, here they, and we, are.
After pulling off back-to-back improbable comebacks, the Isles can pull within one point of a playoff with a win versus the Habs on home ice. Among the teams vying for the second Wild Card, these are the two teams playing the best hockey. The Isles are 6-3-1 over their last 10 games, while Montreal is 7-2-1. The rest of the contenders, Columbus, the Rangers, and the Red Wings, have all been bad, affording the Islanders and Canadiens the opportunity they have taken.
“Confidence is a scary thing,” defenseman Noah Dobson said. “At this time of the year, if you can find it and have that belief that no matter how the game is going or what point the game is at that you can come back and win, that’s huge.”
No hockey fan outside of Long Island wants to see the Islanders in the playoffs in most seasons. They’re boring, lack skill, etc., and hockey fans don’t want to see them over the young, upstart, original six Habs—more the reason to do it.
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