citrin@ucbvax.UUCP (Wayne Citrin) (04/12/84)
Why no comment on this great series and the great game that decided it? I thought that Maloney's goal was a high stick, but given the final result, the point is moot I suppose. Also, given the coming together of all the factors that cause referees to throw away the rule book (playoffs/final game/overtime) I suppose that the stick would have had to be over Maloney's head for a call to have been made (and even then maybe not). What do other people think? As an Islander fan I was of course happy with the result although the Isles will have to get their power play together if they hope to get much farther. Great goaltending is important, but you have to score some goals to win the Cup, especially when you have to get by a good defensive team like the Capitals. The Islanders won their season series with the Caps 4 games to 3, but if I recall correctly, most of those games were close. My gut feeling is that it will take the Islanders 6 games to beat the Caps; they won't let this series go the distance. Unlike many people I don't think that the winner of this series will necessarily win the Cup. If the Islanders do, they probably will, but the Caps are still lacking playoff experience and would probably fall to a more experienced team like Edmonton. Wayne Citrin (ucbvax!citrin)
timw@umcp-cs.UUCP (04/16/84)
You have a point when you say the capitals don't have playoff
experience, as the defeat tonite will show. There are other factors
involved too. The islanders look tired. They won the first game in
overtime, but they were tired near the end of the game. tonite
they played good hockey, and was able to beat the caps near the end.
The feeling i have is that when the caps get psyched, watch it. being
a young team, they don't have anything to lose. the islanders have
to keep their crown, so they have a lot to lose. The series will
go 7 games, but it will be a killer series. without hesitation
it will be the best series of the playoffs, hands down.
--
Tim Wicinski
University of Maryland
UUCP: {seismo,allegra,brl-bmd}!umcp-cs!timw
CSNet: timw@umcp-cs
ARPA: timw@marylandlincoln@eosp1.UUCP (Dick Lincoln) (04/17/84)
The Islanders were mighty lucky to win the Ranger series, and mighty lucky to be ahead of the Caps right now. Their defense, other than Billy Smith, is nowhere near what it was last year. Dennis Potvin has been very shaky, and the whole team has made a slew of serious defensive mistakes in their own end. They have been outplayed and outshot in almost all of the playoff games to date, and only Smitty has kept them in it. The debatable Maloney goal was certainly offset by the incredibly fortunate Bossy semi-break-away goal earlier in the series, without which the Isles wouldn't have gotten to Game 5. It's hard to believe they can go all the way this year on mostly luck, and certainly *this* team has no chance of six in a row, even with probably better years from Flatly and LaFontaine.
kaufman@uiucdcs.UUCP (04/18/84)
#R:ucbvax:-22500:uiucdcs:13100002:000:1962
uiucdcs!kaufman Apr 18 10:16:00 1984
[Just when you thought it was safe to bet against the Islanders]
Beware: the Islander defense has come to life. This was evident in Game
3 of the Washington series, and apparently in Game 4 (which I didn't see), where
the Caps were allowed few good shots. The Islanders have been crowding the
slot and daring the Capitals to put an outside shot past Billy $mith (money
goaltender). Defensemen have been blocking shots left and right, and the
checking has suddenly become fierce. The offense has been coughing up the
puck a bit too much (witness Christian's goal off the breakaway in Game 4),
but again Smith has come through. The Islander power play has become fearsome
again, and all 19 (Melanson has been watching) players have contributed. This
team has shown time and again that it can be outplayed and still win. And when
not outplayed ...
Besides, who is going to knock them off? Washington must win 3 in a row
from them; Edmonton and Montreal were a combined 0-15-1 against the Islanders
the past two years; Minnesota and St. Louis can be tough, but first they have
to get past each other and Edmonton(?). Calgary went 3-0 against New York this
season, but now must go 3-0 against Edmonton against whom they have had much
less success.
And what about Quebec? One might notice that this playoff year bears a
strong resemblance to the one the Islanders had in 1982. In that year, they
were taken to the limit in the miniseries (down 3-1 against Pittsburgh with
6 minutes to play in the final game, they came back to win in overtime). They
then lost the first game of a tough division championship series against the
Rangers before winning in 6. Up next were the Nordiques, promising a very
difficult road to the finals. Result: The Islanders did not lose another game.
Once again this year, the Islanders have been getting stronger as the
playoffs have progressed. It seems clear to me that they will make it 5 in a
row.