Good Morning, Islanders Country.
I’m glad this team kept believing they were a good hockey team and would make the playoffs because I’m not sure many of us did at different parts of the season.
As Brendan Burke stated during the broadcast, the Islanders didn’t get here in a straight line. This season, more than any in recent memory, had its starts and stops, reasons to believe and reasons to lose hope.
They’ve been up and down all season, but right now, they’re up - way up. We helplessly watched this team ride the rollercoaster and survive, clinching a playoff spot (and 3rd place in the Metro) in game 81, one game earlier than last year.
Despite the constant turbulence, the team remained resilient and re-learned how to win and close out games under Patrick Roy the way GM Lou Lamoriello imagined when he made the bold move of replacing Lane Lambert on Jan. 20th. On the day he took over, Roy said that it was “playoff hockey” from here on out. The team didn’t always play like it was, but now they have a chance to make some noise when the real thing starts this weekend.
A lot will be made of how teams like the Philadelphia Flyers and Detroit Red Wings let the Islanders back into the playoff race, but to their credit, the Islanders didn’t back into the playoffs; they charged in, going 7-0-1 over their last eight games, getting the elite level goaltending this team was built on.
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