Isles Rewind: Fort Neverlose is back in business

There’s no place like home

1316. That’s how many days New York Islanders fans have waited for their team to come home. If you ask them, every last one of ’em will tell you it was well worth the wait.

The buzz surrounding this game was palpable. Fans started tailgating TEN hours before puck drop and the sold-out crowd replicated a playoff atmosphere thanks to their emphatic chants and — of course — the notoriously low ceiling.

After allowing the first two goals, the Islanders stormed back and scored three straight to win their first game back in Nassau Country 3–2 over the Columbus Blue Jackets. The game was gritty, physical, and exactly the style of hockey the Islanders want to play. While there were plenty of positives to take away from this memorable night, some of the team’s problems followed them back to the renovated barn. They went 0/3 on the power play and won just 48% of face-offs. Despite their special teams struggles they were still able to pull out an important two points against a Metro division foe.

Welcome to the Isles Rewind.

Plays of the Game:

O Captain, My Captain!

Who else but the captain would score the first Islanders goal back home? A lucky bounce? Sure. But you gotta be good to be lucky and after a review, the call on the ice was reversed to call this goal a good one for Anders Lee.

Five-Hole Beau

Anthony Beauvillier has come alive as of late and this goal made the fans come alive as well. With the pass taken away, Beau follows up his initial shot and sneaks the rebound five-hole to tie the game at 2.

Casey’s Crowd Pleaser

Will teams ever stop giving Ryan Pulock room to skate down the wing? Hopefully not because he goes from the right point to behind the net and sets up Casey Cizikas for the game winning goal.

The Star

The Isles Faithful

All 13,000+ who sold out the Coliseum welcomed the team back home in a tremendous way. Every chant was deafening and it was clear the players thrived off of the energy set by the fans. After the game head coach Barry Trotz valued a sustained atmosphere like that over a full season at around 12 points in the standings. What other fan base in the NHL can have that kind of effect on their team?

The Stat

Goaltender Thomas Greiss stopped 28 of 30 shots en route to his ninth win of the season. He now boasts a .926 save-percentage which is ninth best among net-minders with at least 10 games played.

The Meme

Want to hear Butch Goring say “The Rangers Suck” live on air? Of course you do!

The Islanders are back in action on Tuesday in Brooklyn as they host the Winnipeg Jets. Puck drops at 7 pm.

What did you think of the Isles first game back? Tweet me (@BudGSN) your thoughts and we’ll discuss.