The Islanders Are Relevant Again

It is not very often that after a playoff series, that you can say the losing team earned a lot of respect.

This is certainly not the case when it comes to the New York Islanders. After losing 4-3 in overtime in Game 6 to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, the Islanders showed that they are a team to watch for the future and that when it comes to the playoffs, they might be a fixture in them for the long term.

For starters, the Islanders showed that despite lacking the kind of firepower that the Penguins had, they could put the puck in the net with the best of them. In six games, the Islanders managed to find the back of the net 17 times and got solid offensive contribution from several players.

John Tavares was one of those players who contributed on a consistent players for the Islanders in his first ever postseason. Tavares tied for the team lead in playoff scoring with three goals and two assists for five points.

Tavares scored big goals, took 21 shots in the series and earned respect by simply playing the game the right way for his hockey club in order to help them try and win a series. He may be just 22 years of age but in his first playoff series in the NHL, Tavares played with the professionalism and savvy of a veteran.

Another forward for the Islanders that earned respect was 25-year-old Kyle Okposo. Okposo not only finished the series with three goals and one assist for four points, but he also had his first career fight, scored a game-winning goal in Game 2 to even the series and hustled all series long for his hockey club.

The Islanders earned respect as a team by never saying die in this series. After being blown out in Game 1 by a score of 5-0, the Islanders came back in Game 2 and earned themselves a 4-3 victory.

In Games 3, 4 and 6, the Islanders found themselves in back and forth tilts and yet, managed to be able to skate and score with the mightier Penguins. In these games, the Islanders either lost leads or were able to get themselves back in the hockey game by battling and scoring timely goals.

The Islanders also earned the respect of their fans. Since the 2006-07 season, the Islanders were a team that struggled in the regular season, never made the postseason and played to an empty home arena on a nightly basis.

During the postseason, however, it was a much different atmosphere. It was an environment that showed the Islanders that they had earned their fans’ respect and even showed them that they were worth watching.

The team still may have a lot of work to do in order to become a consistent and winning hockey club but nevertheless, they showed the rest of the league and its fans that they are here to stay and that they deserve to be looked at as one of the better teams in the National Hockey League.