New York Islanders Round 1 Heroes

The New York Islanders swept the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  No one expected this. These Isles have cemented themselves into Islanders Lore.  Here are the Series Heroes.

Now that the dust has settled and we can all really appreciate that it did happen. It is time to assign hero points. The New York Islanders is a real story and like any real story, there are many heroes to recognize.

The Game One Hero was Josh Bailey, scoring the winning goal on a rebound off of an excellent play from Matt Barzal. Bailey had a solid series and finished with a valiant and heroic overall effort. The longest-tenured Islander is the strong leader the team needs.

Jordan Eberle is the hottest player on the team and perhaps its biggest hero/story. He has a goal in each of the four playoff games and even more importantly, a flair for the dramatic. His last two goals have come within seconds of the Penguins taking leads in Game 3 and 4 respectively.

The fourth line led the team in ice time and continually befuddled and frustrated Pittsburgh’s top two lines. Martin, Clutterbuck, and Czikas are no strangers to the Hero Mantel after this season, but I would be remiss to ignore them in Hero accreditation now.

New York Islanders Quiet Crosby

Pulock and Pelech more or less silenced Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzal. Sid is the odds on favorite for the best player in hockey and Guentzal was a forty goal scorer. They combined for two points. The two P’s should get S’s on their chests for their Hero performance.

Filpulla and Komarov were penalty killing masters. In the game of chess, you must think first before you move. So Lou Lamoriello did, bringing this veteran pair together both as mentors for the young guys and for lockdown defensive-minded position players. Hero points for Val and Uncle Leo abound.

Lastly, Robin Lehner is the biggest feel-good story on the New York Islanders. He overcame significant off ice issues to become only the fifth goaltender to sweep his opponent in his first Stanley Cup Playoff Series as a starter.

This team is a serious feel-good story. Four lines, one team, no passengers. They form like Voltron and Barry Trotz is the head. Here’s hoping for more lockdown defense and more upsets. Let’s go Isles.