Oh my God.
As I read Jenny's recap last night and the mention of the 22 blown third season leads, I heard Principal Ed Rooney underlining “Ferris Bueller's Day Off.” Nine times.
twenty two. That's the number of games this season in which the Isles took a third-period lead. Or more than twice the number of absences before Ferris hacked into the computer server. And, oh, even those two-year-olds who know that movie (it came out the year before Mike Bossy officially retired) realize how advanced a hack like this was to a nuclear submarine at the time. I was too young.
Either way, the tragicomedy is sure to continue tonight as the rested Blackhawks visit the Islanders, who are legally prohibited from winning in the second half of back-to-back games (0-6-3). So this should be fun.
Here are tonight's First Islanders goal picks.
islanders news
About last night:
- “Shouldn't victory feel good instead of feeling like a setup for an even more tragically comical twist?” [LHH]
- Well, at least they reunited after that slow, painfully inevitable lead. [Three Takeaways]
- Although they gave up one point, they scored two points and kept their eyes on making the playoffs. [Newsday]
- They defended as hard as they could, but if they were trailing with a one-point difference, they would be in danger. [Post]
- John Tortorella said the Flyers played soft and the only one who didn't was the goalie (i.e. the second goalie). [Sportsnet]
- Tonight's preview: Will Beau and Barzal end up back together like they did midway through last night (before Horvat missed time with a face pack)? And Brock Nelson became the first player since Matt Moulson to score 30 goals in three consecutive seasons. [Isles]
- PWHA New York goaltender Abby Levy is an Isles fan and enjoys playing at home. [Isles]
- Stan Fischler is 92 years old, but he still gets an adrenaline rush from watching hockey games. [THN]
other places
Other notable scores from last night included the stupid Red Wings scoring late to give the Lightning a regulation win. Out in the West, the Blues are doing something similar to the Islanders. After losing 4-0 at home to the awful Sharks, they defeated the Oilers on the night the Kings lost, keeping their slim playoff hopes alive.
- Sidney Crosby tied Wayne Gretzky for the most seasons (19) in which he averaged more points per game. As petty and bitter as I am, I have to admit that it's impressive. [NHL]
- Ryan Hartman is considered a repeat offender, but he was only suspended for three games for throwing his stick on the ice at an official after an overtime loss. At least he had a point – they missed the blatant high stick to the face. But that's toddler behavior. [NHL]
- What is goalkeeper interference? His one review and his one non-review in last night's Oilers Blues raised that eternal question again. [Sportsnet]
