Good Morning, Islanders Country.
Before the start of the playoffs, the NHL put out a Game of Thrones-inspired illustration featuring the best players from each playoff team, all in the Iron Throne room, where Lord Stanley was waiting to be conquered.
It reminded me of another call-back to the show this week with the Islanders facing elimination. In season 1, Master sword-fighter Syrio Forel teaches a young Arya Stark how to fight and defend herself.
During their lessons, he explains that there is only one god, and his name is Death. And what do we say to the God of Death?
“Not today.”
The Islanders said “not today” to elimination on Saturday, and they’ll have to fend off three more “todays” to avoid elimination and survive this series. The first win gave them hope; a second would seed doubt that Carolina could close out the pesky Islanders, who have consistently played their best when counted out.
“There's obviously a hill to climb. We dug ourselves a pretty deep hole,” Mathew Barzal said on Monday. “But the hole got a little smaller after the last game, and as long as you have belief and passion anything can anything, anything is possible. So we definitely believe in this locker room.”
The Islanders have made no sense all year. So much so that it would be fitting for them to put a scare in Carolina after falling down 3-0 in the series. It’s been a season of coming back from odds they stacked against themselves.
Their backs remain up against the wall, where they’ve been before, and they hope they’ll be there two more times before the end of this series. To do so, they have to take each game one “not today” at a time.
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