Good Morning, Islanders Country.
I am on vacation this week in the Caribbean with my better half.
When she pleaded with me to book this trip in late February, I rationalized that last night’s game was unlikely to mean much to the Islanders. Perhaps they’d be mathematically alive, but not much else. Judging by the amount of Rangers fans at UBS Arena, perhaps many season-holders thought the same.
Well, there I was, setting up a VPN in my hotel room to stream the first period before heading out to dinner at the resort. After seeing the Rangers score two power-play goals while we enjoyed pre-dinner drinks by the beach, it felt as if I was better off not watching, judging by the stress emanating from my social media timeline. I anxiously refreshed my phone during dinner before seeing the final score, making the last few bites of dessert that much sweeter.
The Isles started fast and then fended off the league’s best team. They had already blown one three-goal lead to the Blueshirts at “home” this season, and fans in attendance and at home had to endure a tense final 20 minutes before the Islanders secured a win for a third straight game with an empty-net goal as they won their fifth straight overall to remain in third place in the Metro.
Semyon Varlamov continued his stellar play, and the team once again showed a willingness to sacrifice their bodies and block shots from Mathew Barzal to Noah Dobson and every player in between. Patrick Roy had said that it was playoff hockey from here on out when he took the job on Jan. 20, but it’s been the last two games when we’ve watched a team doing whatever it takes to get there.
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