No Win Situation Room

GWG goal is waved off; Isles fall 4-3 in shootout to CBJ

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Good Morning, Islanders Country.

Yes, the Isles were robbed, but they also let a point slip away.

Both can be true.

Much of the attention, and rightfully so after the game, focused on Kyle Palmieri’s would-be game-winning tip-in goal with 9.8 seconds remaining being waved off and then upheld by the “Situation Room” in Toronto that couldn’t find conclusive evidence (or the guts) to rule otherwise. "If Toronto is afraid to overturn calls made by their referee, we don't need Toronto,” head coach Patrick Roy concluded after the game.

The usual mild-tempered, turn-the-page group sounded off after the game. “I think it was f—-ing embarrassing,” Palmieri said. “To be honest, that’s one of the worst no-goal calls I’ve ever seen,” Bo Horvat added. Both players showed their frustration on the ice, letting the referees have it after the Isles fell 4-3 in a shootout to the Blue Jackets.

However, the Isles found themselves in that situation because they blew a 2-0 lead and were outshot 17-4 in the third period to a Columbus team that entered the game on a six-game losing streak. “It’s just really getting frustrating when we're pushing for a playoff spot,” said Horvat. “It’s obviously a game-winning goal late in the hockey game. And to me, it's just unacceptable.”

It’s also unacceptable to hold third-period leads at home in three consecutive games and fail to close the game out in regulation. They were able to pick up the second point versus Montreal but lost in OT to Calgary and then fell in last night’s shootout. They would be sitting in a playoff spot ahead of the Habs and have distance between them and the Blue Jackets if they took care of business.