Of course Islanders coach Barry Trotz was watching the Game 4 of the Capitals-Hurricanes playoff series Thursday night. And of course he noticed when Washington winger T.J. Oshie went awkwardly into the boards and didn’t return because of an apparent shoulder injury.
Trotz’s successor behind the Capitals’ bench, Todd Reirden, later said the high-scoring forward “won’t be playing any time soon.”
The Islanders, after completing their first-round sweep of the Penguins, are just awaiting the winner of that series, now tied 2-2 after Carolina’s win. The Oshie injury could prove costly for Washington, which Trotz led to a Stanley Cup win just a year ago.
“Is it tough? The relationship I have with Oshie, he plays hard, yes, absolutely,” Trotz said after the Islanders’ practice Friday. “But if they end up being the opponent, on the other hand, we’re getting healthy, we’re getting fresh, and they’re losing people.
“Whoever we play, they’re the opponent. But I know him personally, and you never want to see a guy you have relationships with get hurt.”
see also
Thomas Hickey getting Islanders chance after Johnny Boychuk injury
There was a conversation between two good friends after Game…
That series is going at least to Game 6, Monday in Raleigh, N.C. A possible Game 7 would be Wednesday in Washington. If it goes the distance, the second round might not start until Friday or Saturday, with the Islanders having finished their first round this past Tuesday.
That long of a break could create some rust, but it’s also letting Trotz’s team get rested and healthy.
“It’s not a negative,” Trotz said. “There are teams that make those seven games and they’re going to have play the next day. If it goes seven games, it might start Friday or Saturday, and we’re rested. They’re pounding each other and they’ve lost players. So is that an advantage or not? We’re looking at it as an advantage.”
Even team president Lou Lamoriello knows it could go either way, but he’s holding out judgment until he sees how the second round unfolds.
“Having this number of days off, there are two schools of thought,” Lamoriello said. “I’ll let you know after the series whether it was a problem or not.”