There were a handful of “must-win” clichés thrown around the Islanders locker room Saturday afternoon, looking ahead to Game 2 of their second-round series against the Hurricanes the following day at Barclays Center. But losing a 1-0 overtime contest in Game 1 on Friday night has hardly created any panic.
“From experience, I do remember the team I was part of last year that lost the first two games,” coach Barry Trotz said, referring to his Capitals team from a year ago that lost their first two games of the postseason before going on to win the Stanley Cup. “If that were the case, then it’d be the best-of-two. That’s not the case. It’s a race to four.”
Most players described the mood as “fine” and “happy.” It was hard to tell this was anything different than a regular season practice, quick and upbeat. But the Islanders know going to Carolina down 2-0 in the best-of-seven series might not be the most ideal situation, and they need to get over their 10-day break following the first round and the change in home venues from the Coliseum to Brooklyn.
“Carolina, they’re good man,” Mat Barzal said. “Obviously they beat Washington, gave them a lot of problems. [Friday] night, they gave us some problems too. We just have to make a few adjustments and get our intensity up a little bit.
“Shaking off some rust [Friday] night, timing and whatnot. Getting back used to this rink, haven’t played here in a while. Just have to come in [Sunday] prepared, playing our game. It’s a big game for us, we have to win.”
Forward Leo Komarov and defenseman Scott Mayfield missed practice due to “maintenance.” Trotz said he expects both to be ready to play on Sunday.
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Winger Jordan Eberle started this postseason red-hot, scoring a goal in each game of the four-game sweep of the Penguins in the first round. That run ended in Game 1 when the Islanders were shut out, but he wasn’t too concerned the long break affected his personal momentum.
“I felt good [Friday] night, still created a little bit, had a couple chances,” Eberle said. “I think this series is going to be so much different as far as Pittsburgh [when] we scored quite a few goals. This series is going to be a lot tighter. Everyone knows that. They play defensive, we play defensive. That’s how the games are going to go. 0-0, into overtime. That just has to be how the series is one and lost.”