playoffs: 2020-21 | Semis | (C3) Tampa Bay Lightning vs. (E4) New York Islanders

I look at this two-gold. On one hand, each game is its individual entity. They start all over from scratch Wednesday at what will be a loud, emotional crowd at the Coliseum. Not only is that team facing elimination, but that fucking dump is facing permanent extinction with a loss. You can bet that will be the mantra of the players going in: don’t die at home and have the last memory of that shithole be them on the wrong side of a handshake line. So, you know that between their experience, this ass kicking, the thought this may be the last ever game at the Coliseum, that everyone wearing that jersey on Wednesday in that building, fans and players alike, will die on the hill forcing this back to Tampa for Game 7.

 

That being said, Tampa has 10 goals in the last 80 minutes of play. And they’ve scored 5 each in almost 40 minutes of play each against both of the superb Islander goalies. So, either they’re red hot or they’ve figured out something with their experiences against this Islander team. Either way, not a good situation to be in for the Isles. And let me make it clear: not much of this is on the goaltending. Varlamov was pulled tonight as a ploy by Trotz to wake the team up. But they were already so far gone, and Sorokins job was to take this one square on the chin, which he did.

 

So, we will see. When Tampa gets going, which it appears they right now are, they are next to impossible to stop. But, they will be facing one of the most emotional home crowds in recent memory on Wednesday that knows this might be the absolute final stand in Uniondale.

I think it's a little bit of both, Richie...

They turned the Isles over constantly in the first period and they had 8 odd man rushes in the first 20 minutes! I was trying to watch what they were doing, but it appeared to be a slightly different approach against each Isles line. They gave them no breathing room and no time to make a decision. They seemingly hemmed in, and met the Isles defenseman at their own blue line, where they had no outlets, other than to try to chip it out...which they failed with terribly....especially when Tampa clogged the passing lanes in the NZ.

After the 3-0 lead Tampa countered everything, causing neutral zone turnovers-o-plenty....so yeah, I think they figured something out.

I'm curious to see how Trotz counters in Game 6, because the Isles really just didn't have anything at all going for them last night.

This sort of thing doesn't happen to a structurally sound Islanders team.

Flat out. Teams that play this level of defense do not get run up this badly. And it's not Varlamov or Sorokin.

Either the Islanders legs have finally caught up or the Lightning unlocked them.

I look at this two-gold. On one hand, each game is its individual entity. They start all over from scratch Wednesday at what will be a loud, emotional crowd at the Coliseum. Not only is that team facing elimination, but that fucking dump is facing permanent extinction with a loss. You can bet that will be the mantra of the players going in: don’t die at home and have the last memory of that shithole be them on the wrong side of a handshake line. So, you know that between their experience, this ass kicking, the thought this may be the last ever game at the Coliseum, that everyone wearing that jersey on Wednesday in that building, fans and players alike, will die on the hill forcing this back to Tampa for Game 7.

 

That being said, Tampa has 10 goals in the last 80 minutes of play. And they’ve scored 5 each in almost 40 minutes of play each against both of the superb Islander goalies. So, either they’re red hot or they’ve figured out something with their experiences against this Islander team. Either way, not a good situation to be in for the Isles. And let me make it clear: not much of this is on the goaltending. Varlamov was pulled tonight as a ploy by Trotz to wake the team up. But they were already so far gone, and Sorokins job was to take this one square on the chin, which he did.

 

So, we will see. When Tampa gets going, which it appears they right now are, they are next to impossible to stop. But, they will be facing one of the most emotional home crowds in recent memory on Wednesday that knows this might be the absolute final stand in Uniondale.

I'd love nothing more than another blowout for the final game at the coliseum.

Isles are going to win the cup

This is working!!!! ....Keep it up man!! :rofl:

WE’RE GOING TO BORRELLIS!!!!!!

Pretty laughable they're still pretending Isles have this incredibly devoted fan base. It's a joke. Despite this playoff run (and COVID), they haven't drawn flies forever.

WE’RE GOING TO BORRELLIS!!!!!!

Let's go Islanders!

Kucherov just went to the TB locker room, looking like he's banged up 3:00 into the game

Kucherov crosschecked by Mayfield literally less than 3 feet away from the ref looks like where he got injured.....gonna guess its a rib issue

TB 1

Fuckers From LI 0

Guess who scored...........Point

So without Kucherov, the Lightning are only on a 90 million dollar payroll yeah?

I don't see what the big fucking deal is what TB did....They played within the rules. Every team would do the same thing if they could. Lou Lameriello is a master at finding loopholes (Kovalchuk).....Blackhawks did it when they won the Cup.

TB 2

Fuckers From LI 0

Cirelli

Quiets the old barn

TB 12 straight goals since the Matt Martin GWG in Game 4

Absolute clinic by a scary team. Gigantic kill and then a gigantic goal right after the kill.

The Islanders called that timeout to settle down their ice cold offense. They needed one there. Instead, they got nothing and Tampa turns around and makes it 2-0, which for them must feel like 50-0 right now.

If they don’t get one before the 2nd ends, that might be all she wrote.