To say last night’s game in the Coliseum between the New York Islanders and the Tampa Bay Lightning was an exciting one would be a major understatement. The Isles, who were facing elimination trailing the series 3-2, looked to be down and out after Anthony Cirelli scored near the midway point of the second period to put the Bolts up 2-0 on a night where Andrei Vasilevskiy looked unbeatable.
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Instead of bowing down like many teams would, however, the Islanders showed the resiliency they have shown many times under head coach Barry Trotz and were able to tie it up at two apiece and take it to overtime. They weren’t done there either, as Anthony Beauvillier scored just over a minute into the extra frame to force a Game 7.
Fans were understandably emotional, given how the game played out along with the fact that may be the last game ever played in the Coliseum, and chose to throw items, mainly beer cans, onto the ice. Unfortunately, it’s the can throwing that most people are talking about on Thursday, not how fantastic the game was.
Players Took No Issue
While most did a good job of throwing the cans far away from the Islanders to make sure no one was hit, there were some that the players had to swat away as they came onto the ice. This received some mixed emotions, as some saw it as overjoyed fans who were having fun and celebrating their team, while others thought it was disrespectful and could have resulted in injury. When asked about the situation postgame, Beauviller didn’t seem to take issue with what happened.
“Going into OT the building smelled like cigarettes, now it smells like beer,” he said.
It has been a crazy postseason for the Islanders, who most have considered the underdog in all three of their series, with the first two coming against the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins. With last nights win, they will have a chance at an upset again, this time against the defending Stanley Cup Champions. Game 7 will take place Friday night, with the winner moving on to the Final where they will take on either the Vegas Golden Knights or the Montreal Canadiens.
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