In this edition of Potvin’d, Jeff Clutterbuck provides five reactions to the New York Islanders Game 3 victory over the Florida Panthers.
*Named for the legendary defenseman and captain of the Islanders dynasty teams of the 1980’s, ‘Potvin’d’ will highlight five concerns, questions, thoughts, and opinions about the New York Islanders and the NHL.
By Jeff Clutterbuck
It marked not only Hickey’s first career playoff goal, but the first postseason victory in the Islanders new home in Brooklyn.
For this initial edition of Potvin’d, we take a look at some of the factors that went into the Islanders victory, and what fans should expect to see in Game 4.
Now it’s time to get onto the big show:
Brooklyn Bows To No Man
The question on everyone’s mind heading into Game 3 was roughly along the lines of: “What is the Barclays Center going to be like in the playoffs?”
There were no shortages of stories throughout the regular season where the attendance “issues” in Brooklyn came up, and it was a legitimate question on Sunday morning to wonder just what was going to happen.
Well, to say that Islanders fans showed up would be an understatement; nearly every source present for the game seemed to have some sort of comment about how loud the building got.
When Ryan Pulock opened the scoring for the Islanders in the second period, you could practically feel the building shake through the television. Islanders fans did their best to give the Barclays a genuine home-ice advantage, and while it still isn’t the Coliseum, something tells me Brooklyn will do just fine.
M-V-P
Alex Ovechkin has carried with him the reputation of being a “playoff choker” throughout his career. Now, that could very well change this season (the Capitals downing the Flyers 6-1 on Monday night helps), but it will take a sustained, multi-round impact to start changing options.
You know who doesn’t have to worry about that label? John Tavares.
The captain of the New York Islanders is on an absolute tear in these playoffs; tallying 6 points in 3(!) games played. To be perfectly honest, this is more of a continuing trend than a hot streak. Tavares has played 16 postseason games as of this writing and is averaging just a little bit over a point per game.
In a league that has seen goal scoring drop precipitously over the years, the fact that the Islanders have a legitimate superstar to carry them in the playoffs gives them an huge advantage over a team like the Panthers.
Ryan Pulock: The Chosen One
Long after the New York Islanders 2015-16 season has come to a close, fans will forever wonder just what it was that kept Ryan Pulock from taking his rightful place in the starting lineup for the Isles.
To be fair to the coaching staff/management, there has been speculation that the organization was a tad gun shy about rushing their top defensive prospect into the big leagues. Such a strategy has bit the Islanders previously, and Garth Snow and co. were apparently not in the mood to have it happen again.
But after seeing the big righty blast a power play goal past Roberto Luongo to get the Islanders on the board, it is still an indictment against the organization that he didn’t make an appearance earlier in the season.
Yes, the rookie is prone to the mistakes that..well..a rookie makes. But his defensive lapses can be forgiven solely for what the man brings to the offensive side.
For a defensive grouping that saw a few underachievers (Johnny Boychuk, Nick Leddy, Calvin de Haan, I’m looking at you), it’s refreshing to see someone who’s a legitimate threat to put the puck in the back of the net game in and game out.
Oh, and Brian Strait should never see the ice again (positive in itself).
The Greiss Is Right
The national media carried out their perfunctory analysis of the Islanders goaltending situation at the start of the playoffs by essentially dooming them to a short series because of the goalie disparity.
After all, Roberto Luongo has been one of the top goalies in the game for years now, and was a huge factor in the Panthers claiming the Atlantic Division crown. Meanwhile across the ice, Thomas Greiss would be stepping onto the playoff stage for the first time as the number one option for a team.
Advantage Cats, right?
Luongo has looked the part of a franchise goalie, but Greiss has been nowhere near the liability he was made out to be for the Islanders.
His .923 Save Percentage and 2.83 GAA are roughly in the ballpark of what his regular season statistics were, and considering how thoroughly the Panthers offense has been able to dominate the Islanders defense, it’s a testament to Greiss’s ability his numbers aren’t worse. His rebound control in Game 3 was worrisome, but if Greiss is able to get that aspect of his game under control, there is no doubt he can backstop this team to playoff success.
Potvin’d Predicts:
Islanders fans have to be wondering if they’re seeing double, because so far this series has been a near carbon copy of their bout with the Washington Capitals last season, down to the Game 3 overtime winner.
So if the Islanders are following suit, Wednesday night will see many a dejected fan heading home on the LIRR.
But the hope coming out of that 7 game defeat last season was that the players would have learned what it takes to win a playoff series. They had experienced the highest of highs in Game 6, and then reached new lows with their poor performance in the concluding game.
So, Wednesday night at the Barclays Center will go a long way towards showing what this version of the Islanders can do. Will it be a defeat that deadlocks the series at 2 games a piece?
Potvin’d is predicting that the Islanders have learned from the past, and will take one more step towards their first playoff series victory since 1993.