Don’t worry Panthers fans, we throw real rats in Brooklyn. “It was great, and those series that we played against Pittsburgh and Washington here, it’s going to be the same way”. Ryan Strome, Ryan Pulock and Calvin de Haan each passed up golden shooting opportunities. Tavares took a Nick Leddy wrist shot off his right leg earlier in the second, limped to the bench and needed a few minutes to gather himself.
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We figured the Caps-Flyers series would have some heat. More was expected this season and the Isles, for reasons that have been discussed ad nauseam, often looked and performed like an incomplete product.
Thursday’s opener was a high-scoring affair the Islanders won 5-4, but the goal barrage screeched to a halt Friday with Luongo making 41 saves to pick up his first playoff victory in five years with a 3-1 win in Game 2.
It might seem that way, but if you follow Jagr, and if you know hockey, you know better. The 30-year-old German made 42 saves on Thursday, and couldn’t be faulted for any of the goals he allowed. It was good execution from our guys to pump 40 shots.
Greiss’ fine work was rewarded when the Panthers’ defense broke down again with 22 seconds left in the stanza, leaving Tavares all alone off to right of Luongo, where he easily beat the keeper from after taking a quick pass from Kyle Okposo. We have some tough decisions to make. “They probably deserved the first night, but tonight we played the way Islander hockey was supposed to be played”. It’s obvious things that we see. Orpik and the Caps didn’t think either play deserved a penalty. The series shifts to Chicago with Game 3 on Sunday. They got badly outplayed in game one, but bounced back with a nice effort that they were not rewarded for last night. Our entries were clean as well. “We’ve got to put it behind us and move on to the next one. We’re a good team, we’re getting better every day, and it has been a lot of fun so far”. That’s a big part of wearing them down going forward. In the seven seasons since that time he played just 16.
I’m fine with all of this. The Panthers are 8-4-2 this season in the second of back-to-back games. The Caps scored three unanswered goals for a 4-3 win. Frans Nielsen joining the top line has really helped Tavares. Maybe that can be exploited when the Isles have home ice. They knew what they were doing.
“Last year we were battling for respect, and this year we earned a playoff spot”.
Regardless, the coaching staff saw it and they mixed it up a bit by swapping Nelson and Quine.
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Travis Hamonic returning from injury is a major plus as well. The Lightning took their first step by beating the Red Wings on Wednesday night at Amalie Arena, 3-2. The most obvious of those threats is John Tavares, who had a goal and two assists in his first game. The Isles have an outstanding home record in Brooklyn, for whatever that’s worth. The Panthers, meanwhile, won 47 games and clinched 103 points to win a division title for the first time since the 2011-12 season, which was the last time they made the playoffs. The ice could be an issue. Read on for a look at the breakdown for tonight’s Game 2, including a breakdown of the game’s odds and live streaming options in case you won’t be in front of a TV for puck drop.
