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NYHN Daily: Viewing Party at Nassau Coliseum for Game 5, Ryan Pulock Save & More

Published

3 years ago

June 21, 2021

The New York Islanders look to take a pivotal 3-2 series lead as they face the Lightning in Tampa Bay. Ryan Pulock’s game-saving save on Saturday has made it’s way into the history books as one of the best plays in New York sports history. Nassau Coliseum will host a Game 5 viewing party tonight. These stories and more in today’s daily links!

Derek Jeter’s flip in the ALDS, David Tyree’s catch in Super Bowl XLII and the save by Ryan Pulock in the final seconds of Game 4? A day after Pulock’s highlight-reel save on Ryan McDonagh to prevent the tying goal to force overtime and give the Islanders a 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, “The Save” was still the talk of Long Island. Naturally, that has led to discussions of where on the mantle of New York sports’ greatest moments does “The Save” belong? (NYI Hockey Now)

The New York Islanders may not return to play at the Nassau Coliseum until Wednesday, but fans will be back inside the building on Monday for a Game 5 viewing party. The Islanders announced that they would be hosting the viewing party on Sunday afternoon days after Nassau County Executive wrote an open letter to Islanders fans that one was in the works. The county legislature had also been pushing for a viewing party now that COVID-19 restrictions had been lifted across New York State. (NYI Hockey Now)

New York Islanders head coach Barry Trotz has had a knack of knowing when to use a timeout during the playoffs to calm his team down. He did it against Boston when they were surging and cut a 5-2 Islander lead to a 5-4 lead in Game 5 last round and on Saturday his timeout after Tampa Bay’s second goal helped the Isles regain their form in their 3-2 Game 4 win. (NYI Hockey Now)

After Ryan Pulock’s incredible play, Arthur Staple shares an article from 2019 about how he and his family used hockey as away to battle through the tragic loss of his brother. (The Athletic)

The Islanders are just one of four teams in NHL history to face a 2-1 series deficit in at least three rounds of one playoff run. They have a chance to become the first NHL team to overcome that disadvantage to win three series if they can again rally against the Lightning in the NHL semifinals. Of course, that’s not the Islanders’ focus heading into Monday night’s pivotal Game 5 at Amalie Arena. (Newsday)

Let’s just say that Ryan Pulock’s game-saving play as the clock expired in the Islanders’ 3-2 victory over the Lightning in Game 4 on Saturday night was incredibly on-brand for the team. Because in a pivotal, must-win contest to even the Stanley Cup semifinal series before heading back to Tampa, the Islanders were able to pull out a win behind a disciplined play that took immense focus and sheer willpower. (NY Post)

In the offensive and defensive crease, the New York Islanders won more battles in their opening-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins. If there was a second reason the Penguins lost in Round One to New York, the net-front battles are firmly ensconced as it. So, how will the Pittsburgh Penguins and Hextall fix the issue on the blue line? The answer currently resides in Buffalo. (Pittsburgh Hockey Now)

New York Islanders forward Matt Martin, one of their Game 4 heroes as they pulled even with the defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning in their NHL playoffs semifinal, grew up in the 1990s in the backyard of the Detroit Red Wings in Windsor, Ontario. But much to the chagrin of his family, Martin gravitated to the Colorado Avalanche. “Joe Sakic was my favorite player and Patrick Roy was my favorite goalie,” Martin explained. “When Colorado came into the league and they went to the same team, it was a no-brainer for me. (Detroit Hockey Now)

Robin Lehner has been through enough in his career that little irritations are inconsequential. Injuries and a concussion this season predominantly handed the net to Marc-Andre Fleury by default and the Vegas flower bloomed. But after a Game 3 gaffe, head coach Pete DeBoer turned to Lehner, his other No. 1 goalie who was brilliant in the Vegas Golden Knights 2-1 OT win over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 4 on Sunday night at the Bell Centre. Fleury is perennially a fan favorite, wherever he plays. Lehner is an intense person, to the point of surly in a hockey sweater. Lehner took special motivation from the Twitter firestorm on Sunday afternoon as media and his home fans put down the decision and Lehner, too. (Vegas Hockey Now)

Nicolas Roy scored 1:18 into overtime, and the Vegas Golden Knights evened the Stanley Cup Semifinals with a 2-1 win against the Montreal Canadiens in Game 4 at Bell Centre on Sunday. Roy got his own rebound and flipped the puck over Carey Price after Max Pacioretty skated out from behind the net and took a shot from a sharp angle.” That’s unbelievable,” said Roy, a native of Amos, Quebec, whose family was among the crowd of 3,500. “I always dreamed about scoring at the Bell Centre. Doing it in overtime in the series, the semifinals, it’s even better.” (NHL)

Robin Lehner replaced Marc-Andre Fleury as the starting goalie and helped the Vegas Golden Knights even the Stanley Cup Semifinals with a 2-1 overtime victory against the Montreal Canadiens in Game 4 at Bell Centre in Montreal on Sunday. Lehner made 27 saves, one on a breakaway by Cole Caufield in the third period. (NHL)

Dominique Ducharme said he hopes to return to coach the Montreal Canadiens as soon as possible after testing positive for COVID-19. Protocols require Ducharme to quarantine for 14 days, which would likely go until the middle of the Stanley Cup Final. “Hopefully, I can be back earlier than that,” Ducharme said Sunday. “It’s frustrating because I’ve been doing everything that they’ve asked us to do. I never exposed myself. I got that bad luck.” (NHL)

The Tampa Bay Lightning are moving on to Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Semifinals, using their flight home Sunday morning and a day off to turn the page following an emotional 3-2 loss at the New York Islanders in Game 4 on Saturday that tied the best-of-7 series. The Lightning scored two goals in the third period but fell one short, and will try to retake the series lead Monday. (NHL)

The New York Islanders have taken on a familiar identity in their three seasons under general manager Lou Lamoriello that those who had success within it previously with the New Jersey Devils recognize. Tied with the Tampa Bay Lightning heading into Game 5 of the best-of-7 Stanley Cup Semifinals at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, on Monday the Islanders have some work remaining to reach the level of the Devils, who won the Stanley Cup in 1995, 2000 and 2003 and also reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2001 and 2012 with Lamoriello as their GM. But the formula, with a commitment to a defensive foundation supported by a balanced offense, is essentially the same. (NHL)

The Montreal Canadiens said they did a lot of good things in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Semifinals on Sunday, and they feel confident taking that into Game 5. “I feel bad for the players who put a lot of effort in; we really played the right way, played real hard,” Canadiens assistant coach Luke Richardson said. “We had a few chances to maybe make it 2-0 or 2-1 and we just couldn’t capitalize. But the effort was there both defensively and creating some offense. I thought we carried the play most of the night, so we’re pretty happy with that and confident in the way we’re playing. But it is a little disappointing anytime you lose in overtime.” (NHL)