Pittsburgh is in the rear-view mirror, which … nah, too easy, no cheap shots here.
Even as the Islanders look forward to Round 2 of the playoffs, coach Barry Trotz identified the aspect of his team’s game that most impressed him during the first-round sweep of the Penguins that concluded Tuesday.
“What I liked is that we didn’t get smaller in the moment and didn’t get emotionally pushed one way or the other,” he said Thursday. “The things that can set you off emotionally, goals or calls, they can be frustrating and can lead to frustration and send you off the wrong way.
“We didn’t allow that. If there was a call we disagreed with, or they got a power play, we stayed very composed on the bench. We didn’t go off the rails, which can happen. We didn’t worry about what happened. We worried about the next moment. So, I liked our focus.”
The Penguins scored first in Game 2, at 10:36 of the second period. The Islanders tied it at 13:25. The Penguins scored first in Game 3, at 12:54 of the first period. The Islanders tied it at 13:22. The Penguins scored first in Game 4, at 0:35 of the first period. The Islanders tied it at 2:09.
see also
Islanders passed one huge test — now even bigger ones await
Any veil of secrecy about what kind of team the…
Over the 244:39 of the series, the Islanders trailed for a sum of 4:51, and never for longer than 2:49.
“I think [our poise] developed over the year,” Trotz said. “Early in the year we’d be playing well and a call would go against us or there’d be a goal, and we’d kind of lose our focus for eight or 10 minutes, and I’d go, ‘Why? We’re playing well. [Stuff] happens.’
“As the season developed, we were able to accept those things as just part of the game and not worry about it. I mean, if you’re going to climb the ladder, you just focus on the next rung. That’s the way we’ve been. Nothing that happened [against Pittsburgh] threw us off our game, so that’s probably what stood out the most.”
Trotz also said he was impressed by his team’s low-key celebration of the sweep.
“I took out of it that they’re focused and business-like,” he said. “From my standpoint, they know they didn’t climb the mountain, so they’re not acting like they did. They know the task will get harder and harder.”
If the Capitals beat the Hurricanes, they will have home ice over the Islanders, but if the Candy Canes prevail, Games 1 and 2 plus the if-necessary Games 5 and 7 would be played in Brooklyn.
Trotz said the staff is still devising plans for how the team will operate on game days with all remaining home games set for Barclays Center.
No update was provided on the health of Cal Clutterbuck (unidentified issue) and Johnny Boychuk (left foot/leg following a blocked shot).