Top Shelf : Islanders Daily : 5/13/13

May 11, 2013; Uniondale, NY, USA; New York Islanders right wing

(40) scores on Pittsburgh Penguins goalie

(92) during the third period of game six of the first round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The Penguins won the game 4-3 and won the series 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Middletown, N. J.  – As the playoff loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins continues to settle in, the Islanders are faced with a day that the entire roster feels might have come just a bit too soon for their liking.

The club will conduct their annual exit interviews today, a review of each players season and send off to the summer. It will more than likely also be a permanent good-bye for some.

The success of this season and huge step forward in the rebuild process was most clear to anyone who bothered to pay attention but the end result still remained that the team did not win the Stanley Cup, which each team sets as its standard in each and every pre-season. For that, someone inevitably has to pay a price.

Not to mention the incredible depth at which the Islanders have in Bridgeport and you certainly have seen the last of some of the current roster in an Islanders jersey. But who will it be? I wish we had a crystal ball to tell you, but it doesn’t mean we won’t be speculating in the weeks ahead. We have plenty of great material lined up for you from the staff at EyesOnIsles to take you through the summer, from report cards to the draft to free agency and beyond. For now, it is still sinking in and might linger even longer for certain players.

Links

• Arthur Staple with a look-ahead
• Islanders Optimism recaps the top moments in the series
• Post Gazette raves about the ‘pesky’ Islanders
• Point Blank takes a reflective stance
• Daniel Friedman with his take on the season

From Around The Twitter-Sphere

• If you go by the true definition of what the Hart Trophy stands for, it might be wearing #30 for the Rangers. They go nowhere without him and his performance yesterday was outstanding. Off-season priority #1 for Isles. 

• Fans and players alike are going to miss the old barn more than they even realize. The way it rocked during the playoffs brought back so many great memories of the early 80s dynasty teams.

• I think every Islanders fan echos this sentiment towards the players on the club who provided us with so much excitement this season.

• And this is from a Pens tweet! It pretty much sums up how I personally feel about this series and could not have been framed out more perfectly.

Around The NHL

•  Henrik Lundqvist was amazing yesterday in turning away 27 Washington Capitals shots in a 1-0 victory at Madison Square Garden. Game seven will be played at Verizon Center tonight at 8pm EST. Derick Brassard scored the only goal of the game early in the second period when his point shot was deflected in front of Braden Holby and eluded the Caps goaltender.
• James Reimer continued his outstanding play, absolutely stonewalling the Boston Bruins and forcing another decisive game seven in that series as well. Phil Kessel‘s marker at the nine minute mark of the third turned out to be the decisive tally.
• Experience pays off as the Detroit Red Wings eliminated the Anaheim Ducks and won their first round series 4 games to 3. The Wings won 3-2 last night in Anaheim after skating out to a 3-1 lead after two periods and holding on. They will now face the Chicago Blackhawks in round two.

Thanks for keeping right here at EyesOnIsles – we thank you for reading.

-AG