Games
New York Islanders 5 - Florida Panthers 4
It didn't take long for the Panthers to open the scoring in this series. Teddy Purcell finished off a 2-on-1 to put Florida in the lead. New York bounced back minutes later, as Brock Nelson went in on a partial breakaway and snapping one past Luongo. It would get rough midway through the period, with Jonathan Huberdeau and Cal Clutterbuck getting roughing penalties (Clutterbuck received a double-minor). The Panthers made good with the extra two minutes. Jussi Jokinen tipped Brian Campbell's point shot past Greiss, putting Florida back in the lead. A minute later, New York would get a powerplay of their own, as Erik Gudbranson was sent to the box for hooking. Frans Nielsen finished off a pass from Tavares, once again tying the game for the Islanders. The first period would end with both teams tied 2-2. Florida struck early in the second. Alex Petrovic's point shot missed the net, but Reilly Smith was there to whack the loose puck into the net. The second period was mostly the Panthers, but they could not muster another goal. Very late in the period, Tavares tapped in a pass from Kyle Okposo to tie the game. It remained 3-3 heading into the second intermission. The Panthers were still on the attack to start the third. It was the Islanders though who scored first. Tavares stole the puck off a Florida defender and dished it to Okposo, who wrist it past Luongo to put the Islander in the lead for the first time this game. Over three minutes later, Ryan Strome buried a rebound, making it 5-3 for New York. Florida kept on the attack though, and eventually answered back, as Smith scored his second of the game midway through the period. The Panthers kept on attacking, but failed to find an equalizer. New York hung on to win 5-4, taking the first game of the series.
New York Islanders 1 - Florida Panthers 3
There was no rest, as both teams were at it the next day. Once again, Florida opened the scoring. Reilly Smith finished off a tic-tac-toe play just over four minute in, making it 1-0 Panthers. The Islanders would get a couple of powerplay throughout the period, but could not convert on them. A late surge by Florida was unsuccessful, but they still ended the period up a goal. The Islanders would control play more most of the early part of the second, but it was the Panthers who managed to find the back of the net. Smith fed Nick Bjugstad in the slot, who proceeded to fire the puck past Greiss, extending Florida's lead to 2-0. New York outshot Florida in the period, but had nothing to show for it. It was a rough ending to the period, with both teams having three players a piece sent to the box (with Casey Czikas getting a double-minor). Luongo's shutout was in tact through 40 minutes, as the Panthers were up 2-0 after the second period. Florida was on the attack for the first couple minutes in the third, but failed to add to their lead. Once they took a penalty, New York went on the attack. While they could not find the back of the net, they kept up the pressure. The Islanders eventually broke through thanks to Tavares whacking home a loose puck near the side of the net. That was New York's lone goal, as even with the extra attacker, they could not tie the game. Barkov added an empty netter, as Florida won the game 3-1. The win tied the series 1-1.
Florida Panthers 3 - New York Islanders 4 (OT)
Another game, another opening goal by the Panthers. Smith backhanded a rebound that beat a diving Greiss. Smith almost had his second of the game midway through the period, but rang his backhand attempt off the crossbar. Play would go to 4-on-4 for a bit, but neither team could capitalize on the opened-up ice. The Islanders got a powerplay moments later, but could not tie the game. The period ended with the Panthers still up 1-0. It didn't take long for Florida to extend their lead in the second. Just over a minute in, Barkov banged home a loose puck at the side of the net to make it 2-0 Panthers. Minutes later, Ekblad looked to have made it 3-0 for the away team. Islanders coach Jack Capuano challenge the play for offside, and was successful. The goal was negated, keeping the score 2-0 for the Panthers. Penalties would then hurt Florida, as Petrovic and Jokinen (25 seconds later) getting sent to the box. The 5-on-3 helped the Islanders get on the board. Ryan Pulock blasted one from the point that beat Luongo, pulling New York to within a goal. Moments after play went back to 5-on-5, Bjugstad would tap in a loose puck to one again put Florid up two goals. New York pushed back, looking to make the game closer. Just over four minutes later, Shane Prince roofed on over Luongo and into the net. A powerplay later in the period helped the Islanders tie the game. Nielsen backhanded one past Luongo, making it 3-3. The Panthers had a powerplay before the end of the period, but failed to score on it. The game remain tied 3-3 after 40 minutes. Florida was in control for most of the third period. Jiri Hudler had the Panthers best chance of the period, taking advantage of Nick Leddy's stick exploding and stealing the puck. Hudler's shot would miss the mark though, and go wide of the net. No goals were scored in the third, meaning the 3-3 scoreline remained and overtime would be needed. New York controlled play early in the period, looking to make it a quick overtime. It did not happen, as play started to shift in Florida's favour. The Panthers could not end the game during their time with the puck. 12-and-ahalf minutes into the extra frame, Brock Nelson hit a streaking Thomas Hickey in the slot. Hickey wasted no time getting the puck on net, as his shot beat Luongo. The 4-3 overtime win put New York back in the series lead.
Florida Panthers 2 - New York Islanders 1
Florida looked to be in control early, and earned a powerplay for their efforts. They only managed one shot on the man advantage. That didn't deter the Panthers' attack though, as they kept at it. Their best chance came midway through the period (while they were shorthanded). Bjugstad deked around a defender and had a clean shot at Greiss, but was stopped. The Islanders had a late push in the period, but came up empty. Florida outshot New York 10-5, but the score remained 0-0 after 20 minutes. Florida looked to have broken the deadlock midway through the second period. Huberdeau was initially stopped by Greiss, but he slid into Greiss, pushing him and the puck into the net. The initial call was no goal, and it stood after being reviewed. An odd twist to this goal came after the review, as Panthers coach Gerard Gallant challenged the play. The challenge was (unsurprisingly) unsuccessful, and the game stayed at zeroes. Florida eventually got their goal later in the period. A scramble on the powerplay resulted in Jagr feeding an open Purcell, who beat Greiss before he could get set. Minutes later, New York found themselves on the man advantage (and then a 5-on-3 powerplay). Just a second after the first penalty expired, Tavares sniped on past Luongo, tying the game. The second period ended with the game tied 1-1. The third period started a bit slow, taking a few minutes for something to happen. The Islanders almost scored three minutes in, as as Okposo's shot from the boards almost handcuffed an unsuspecting Luongo. The Panther goalie managed to stop the puck in time, preventing a goal. Florida soon took over once they were awarded a powerplay. They could not convert on the man advantage, but kept up the pressure. Halfway through the period, Alex Petrovic's shot beat Griess to put the Panthers back in the lead. The Islanders picked up their pace, looking to tie the game. Even with a powerplay though, they could not beat Luongo for a second time. Florida hung on to win 2-1, tying the series at 2-2.
New York Islanders 2 - Florida Panthers 1 (2OT)
Play would start off in the Islanders favour, but even with an early powerplay, they could not beat Luongo. Panthers started taking over midway through the period. Michael Matheson got a great chance, but he could not beat Greiss. Later in the period, New York opened the scoring, as Steve Bernier buried a rebound to put the Islanders up 1-0. The Panthers tried to score an equalizer before the period ended, but their attempts were unsuccessful. New York ended the first period up 1-0. The Islanders quickly attacked in the second, but failed to extend their lead. It was all Panthers after that, as they controlled play for the majority of the period. Ekblad had a good chance midway through the period, but Greiss slid over in time to stop the shot. Florida threw almost everything on net, while New York failed to register a shot in the last ten minutes in the period. The scoreline remained the same, as the Islanders stayed in the lead after 40 minutes. It didn't take long in the third period for the Panthers to tie the game. Barkov redirected Petrovic's pass into the Islander net, making it a 1-1 game. The Islanders challenged the goal, claiming the play was offside, but the goal was upheld. New York's first shot of the period came five minutes into the period, as they went nearly 16 minutes between shots on goal. The Islanders best chance to regain the lead came later in the period, but on a 2-on-1, Leddy one-timed a pass wide of the net. Time ran out with the game still tied at 1-1, meaning overtime was needed. Florida came out firing in overtime, but could not end the game early. The Panthers caught a break seven minutes into the extra frame, as Calvin de Haan grabbed the puck while in the crease. This allowed Barkov to take a penalty shot. He tried to go backhand, but Greiss stopped the shot. Play would even out a bit later in the period, but neither team could end it, meaning another overtime period was needed. Florida got a scare under two minutes into the second extra frame, as Bjustad lost his balance went into the boards hard. He was down for a few minutes, and left the game with a bleeding head. Minutes later, Jagr would be called for tripping, putting the Islanders on the powerplay. They would fail to score, and the Panthers went back on the attack. That lasted for about five minutes, as the Islanders turned play in their favour. They would find themselves on the powerplay once again, as Derek MacKenzie was called for slashing. It was an unlikely player who capitalized on the man advantage. Alan Quine one-timed the puck past Luongo, winning the game in double overtime. The 2-1 win put New York up 3-2 in the series, and made it so they needed just one more win to advance.
Florida Panthers 1 - New York Islanders 2 (2OT)
New York came out looking to end the series. Despite outplaying Florida for the majority of the period (and getting a powerplay), New York could not find the back of the net. Just over a minute left in the period, Huberdeau managed to get a shot off while being tripped. His shot found its way past Greiss' blocker and into the net. The first period ended with Florida up 1-0. The Islanders kept their play up for the first seven minutes in the second, but could not find an equalizer. The Panthers turned it on after that. Even with a powerplay though, Florida was unable to extend their lead. Chances were exchanged later in the period, but the score stayed 1-0 for the Panthers after 40 minutes. The third period saw both teams looking to get the second goal of the game, with the Islanders getting most of the attempts. Just over a minute left, the tide would turn on Florida's fortune. Vincent Trocheck would be tripped up in the offensive zone, but it was not called. New York took the puck and turned it up ice. Tavares took advantage of a loose puck in the crease, shooting it into the yawning cage to tie the game. The remaining seconds ticked off, with the game tied 1-1. Overtime was once again needed to decide a winner. The first overtime saw the Islanders dominate on the shot counter, but unable to find the back of the net. Florida got a few chances themselves, but after 20 minutes of overtime, nothing was settled. For the second consecutive game, both teams would play a second overtime. It ended ten minutes into the fifth period. Tavares' initial shot was stopped, but me collected the rebound and scored on a wraparound attempt. New York's 2-1 win was the series clincher, as they won the series 4-2.
Three Thoughts on the Series
- Thomas Greiss knows what's up.
- It seems appropriate that Tavares was the one who scored the series winner. His line was the only one able to give the Panthers problems
- This ended up being a sneaky good series.
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| The tripped that (supposedly) changed everything in Game 6. Screened cap from NHL.com highlight pack. |
Highlight of the Series
Tavares' series-clinching winner that put the Islanders in the second round for the first time since 1993.
