The New York Islanders Were Built For The Playoffs
from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,
In a lot of ways, these Islanders remind me of the 1960s Maple Leafs. Well, except for those four Stanley Cups within six years, that is. Or at least so far, wink, wink.
Those Toronto teams were not only built for the playoffs, they were better in the postseason than during the regular season. A top seed only once in their four championship seasons, their unique slow-it-down, tight-checking approach to the 70-game regular season prepared them perfectly for the playoffs.
And so it is on the Island, where the precepts of both executive-in-chief Lou Lamoriello and head coach Barry Trotz do not bend to serve the flavor of the day. From Day 1, it’s all about grinding, being responsible without the puck and taking hits to make plays. It is about playing a demanding style under which a straight line is the shortest distance taken between two points.
It is about playing playoff hockey from beginning to end.
The Islanders are a quarter of the way to their first Cup since 1983 following their first Coliseum closeout of a series since 1993’s six-game, first-round victory over Washington ended with Pierre Turgeon taking that dishonorable hit from Dale Hunter that likely doused the team’s Cup hopes.
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