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Good Morning, Islanders Country.
As Alan Fuehring said during the post-game, if you like tight, defensive structured hockey, this is the series for you. The rest of this series is likely going to look a lot like last night, so you better get used to it.
The Isles weren’t the better team last night, but in what was essentially a one-goal game for 56 minutes, they had opportunities to steal Game 1 on the road but failed to capitalize when they came - especially with the man advantage.
Were there signs of improvement on the power play with Mathew Barzal back in the lineup? Sure, but after their first power play of the night had zone time and created chances, the next three looked too reminiscent of what we’ve come accustomed to. They didn’t register a shot over the next three opportunities.
"It came down a little bit to zone entries at times," head coach Lane Lambert said of the power play after the game. "We know they have a pretty good hard stand. We potentially got a little stubborn at times trying to bring the puck in, but overall I thought we moved it pretty well, certainly early."
The Canes throttled the Islanders in the neutral zone all night, stood up at the blue line, and were super aggressive when killing penalties. Carolina dares you to be decisive and move the puck quickly. If you don’t, space disappears, and before you know it, the puck is transitioning the other way. “I talk about it all the time; they don’t give you a lot of time and space, added Lambert. “That’s their M.O. They’re up on you, so you gotta move quickly in transition.”
Antti Raanta was good as he had to be for Carolina, but he didn’t have to be great, making 25 saves and wanting back the Ryan Pulock goal. To generate high-danger chances, the Isles are going to have to find ways to extend zone time and find shooting lanes that weren’t there in Game 1.
On the plus side, the Islanders didn’t allow an even-strength goal, and you’d expect on most nights during the postseason, Ilya Sorokin’s 35-save performance would be enough to win games. The 27-year-old played as expected, stopping all 11 high-danger shots and keeping his team in the game, just as he did all year.
It’s too early in the series to get discouraged, but Carolina plays a discouraging brand of hockey, especially when you’re playing from behind. Both teams expect the rest of the series to follow the same formula with execution and a little bit of luck making all the difference. Two things the Isles need desperately on their PP.
Coming up, Mathew Barzal looks good in his return, and Ryan Pulock gets physical. Plus, Big Z runs a big race, Butch Goring exchanges social media blows, the longest game in Islanders history ends in epic fashion, and Bo Horvat “is pictured” with a bacon, egg, and cheese.
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