NYHN Daily: Islanders Force Game 7, Coliseum Magic, & More

The New York Islanders’ Stanley Cup dream appeared to be slipping away. But trailing by two goals in the second period of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Semifinals against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Islanders dug down and wrote a different ending. The Islanders victory forced Game 7 against the Lightning at Amalie Arena in Tampa on Friday. The winner will advance to the Stanley Cup Final to face the Montreal Canadiens or Vegas Golden Knights. (NHL)

Nikita Kucherov left Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Semifinals for the Tampa Bay Lightning with an undisclosed injury early in the first period in a 3-2 overtime loss to the New York Islanders on Wednesday, and coach Jon Cooper did not have an update on the forward’s status afterward. Kucherov left after his first shift, 2:22 into the game at Nassau Coliseum, 14 seconds after he appeared to jam his right arm or shoulder while hitting Islanders center Mathew Barzal. He struggled to finish the shift and went to the locker room with a Lightning trainer at the stoppage in play. (NHL)

The Tampa Bay Lightning are out of mulligans.  They had a two-goal lead and a return to the Stanley Cup Final in their grasp in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Semifinals on Wednesday but let it slip away, losing 3-2 in overtime to the New York Islanders at Nassau Coliseum. “We had put ourselves in an opportunity to knock them out tonight and we didn’t,” coach Jon Cooper said. “Fortunately, we have another opportunity. We just have to take advantage of that.” (NHL)

Now here’s something you don’t see every day: The winning home team gets showered by beer cans. Not the best look for Nassau Coliseum in what could have been the final playoff game ever played here, but this place has never been about looks. It was pandemonium Wednesday after Anthony Beauvillier’s steal and score 1:08 into overtime to complete yet another Islanders postseason comeback and send them back to Tampa for Game 7 against the Lightning on Friday. (The Athletic)

The Islanders may very well have played their last playoff game at Nassau Coliseum. That won’t be known for another couple of days. If it turns out they have, at least they will know they sent the old building out with a bang, beating the Tampa Bay Lightning, 3-2, in overtime Wednesday night. (Newsday)

Anthony Beauvillier said the place smelled like cigarettes when overtime began, and like beer when it ended, a weirdly appropriate, time-warping narrative arc for the occasion. Cigarettes? What is this, 1972? Well, yeah, kind of, in the sense that if this was the last game the Islanders will play at Nassau Coliseum, it tied a neat bow on a half-century of history with a finale that never will be forgotten. (Newsday)

For the Islanders, there’s still a tomorrow. Intercepting a Lightning turnover just over a minute into overtime Wednesday night, Anthony Beauvillier blasted the puck from the slot, immediately dropped to his knees and slid into a dog pile of a celebration as the Islanders stole a 3-2 win in Game 6 of their Stanley Cup semifinal at Nassau Coliseum — the historic arena that can still hang on to its hopes of hosting its first Cup final series since 1984. (NY Post)

Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron had a disappointing end in this season’s Selke Trophy race with a second-place finish, but the B’s center ended up landing some NHL Awards hardware this season after all. Bergeron was named the Mark Messier Leadership Award winner on Wednesday night, which is presented “to the player who exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice, during the regular season and who plays a leading role in his community growing the game of hockey.” (Boston Hockey Now)

The Seattle Kraken will have quite a few big decisions for themselves at next month’s Expansion Draft. They won’t be the only team impacted by the draft, however, as 30 NHL teams will lose a player to Seattle. The Philadelphia Flyers are one of the teams that may be impacted more than others by the NHL Expansion Draft. On Monday, we looked at how the Expansion Draft could weigh heavily on the Flyers in more ways than one. They’ll be losing a player to Seattle and it could also mark the start of a busy period of offseason activity. (Philly Hockey Now)

Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman makes first-round draft decisions look easier than they truly are. Through the years, the Red Wings have made some poor first-round picks. But former GM Alex Delvecchio’s decision to take Fred Williams at the  No. 4  pick in 1976 is considered one of the worst mistakes in NHL draft history. (Detroit Hockey Now)

The Washington Capitals’ crease was a sure thing to start 2020-21, but injuries and adversity led to question marks.

In the end, Ilya Samsonov and Vitek Vanecek emerged as the unexpected tandem. The two young netminders — and a cameo by Craig Anderson in the playoffs — did what they could, and earned a vote of confidence from general manager Brian MacLellan. Taking the season into account, who is the guy next season? (Washington Hockey Now)

As the Vegas Golden Knights head to Montreal facing elimination in Game Six against the Canadiens, the spotlight is shining brightly on the road team. Lose and you’re done for the summer. Win and you push the series to a seventh and deciding game back on your home ice. Which goalie is the one to start – Robin Lehner or Marc-Andre Fleury? (Vegas Hockey Now)

The Colorado Avalanche have to submit their “protected” list to the NHL and expansion Seattle Kraken by July 17. Sources tell me, that’s about three and a half weeks from now. It won’t be a shock if Gabe Landeskog is NOT on the protected list, and here’s why: Landeskog can become an unrestricted free agent July 28. The Kraken will pick their team on July 21st. (Colorado Hockey Now)

“Good luck.” That’s what one NHL executive thinks about the San Jose Sharks’ chances of winning an Evander Kane trade. “Sources indicate significant friction built up between Kane and a number of his teammates last season,” Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff wrote, “frustration that was expressed clearly to management in exit interviews.” (San Jose Hockey Now)