If the New York Islanders are eliminated in their second-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, they can and should look back to their 2-1 overtime loss in Game 4 as the moment when it all slipped away. It wasn’t just a game the team could have won; it was a game it should have won.
We should start with the obvious. The Hockey Night in Canada broadcast repeatedly noted the daunting success rate of teams entering the third period with a lead in these playoffs: 39 wins and just three losses. In 93 percent of games coming into Friday, the final frame was essentially irrelevant if the score wasn’t tied.
Now it’s 39-4.
The Islanders had many chances to increase their 1-0 lead—which they earned less than five minutes into the game—to something more durable, more substantial. They outshot the Lightning 16-6 in the first period, and when Ryan Callahan took an undisciplined double-minor in the back half of the frame, it represented a perfect opportunity to tally an insurance marker.
New York failed to take advantage. The team didn’t get another opportunity, as that ...
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Article written by Jonathan Willis
Islanders’ Squandered Chances Have Them Facing Improbable Odds as Tampa Up 3-1
May 6th, 2016 by Jonathan Willis Leave a reply »
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