We can't change the results nor the penalties but New York Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello can change his lineup. And the league can change how infractions are called. But how?
In my half-century of covering the Islanders, I cannot remember a single instance of such a dramatic speed and style change like the one that occurred at the start of the third period in Game Six at UBS Arena.
The shocking mph reversal changed the pro-Islanders tempo into an ultimate pro-Canes victory.
After 40 minutes of playing high-speed firewagon hockey, the team -- as a whole -- put on the brakes and went wholly on the defensive.
Granted, there was a method to the method. After two periods, New York was ahead and wanted to maintain the advantage.
Fair enough, but it was a mere one-goal lead. Was it protectable? Yes. But not with a double-your-money-back guarantee.
It was protectable; but with one of these * asterisks, leaning on *Canes' offense.
Or, as Mathew Barzal so aptly explained in the aftermath of his club's 2-1 defeat: "One goal leads in the playoffs are not safe."
A question yet to be discerned was whether the Isles shift from fourth gear to first was ordered by the coaching staff or whether it simply was a subconscious, teamwide decision.
To put it another way, if the two-period gung-ho au-go-go style that had the Canes on their heels worked so well for two periods, why not keep it going?
Sure, it's easy to second guess now, but as ex-NHL President John Ziegler liked to say, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" And it wasn't broken, as the shot clock -- favoring the hosts -- clearly demonstrated.
I can't imagine that the players would knowingly want to deviate from the hotsy-totsy style that had the Carolina guys thinking a Nassau hurricane hit them.
It seems to me that it came from the bench bosses. I figure that they were banking on the Visitors being discouraged by passionate forechecking to disrupt a big Canes' push.
Instead, the Canes gained the home team's ice with relative ease and hammered away until the Law of Averages came into play, and Carolina scored.
Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the contest was that the Canes failed to get the winner in regulation time. But Ilya Sorokin was there to prevent further damage. That is, until disaster struck in the sudden death segment.
Based on his managerial modus operandi over the years, Lou Lamoriello will carefully examine Lane Lambert's performance over the regular season and playoffs.
The most obvious conclusion is that the rookie head coach did what Lambert's mentor, Barry Trotz, could not do last season and that is, make the playoffs.
What's more Lane's efforts surpassed those of eight Eastern Conference NHL coaches. Lambert outshone the veteran Mike Sullivan with his one-two Crosby-Malkin punch in Pitt and Peter Laviolette and his ace, Ovie, in D.C., among others. Beating out eight East contenders is no feat to be sneezed at whether you have allergies or not.
Secondly, Lou will not ignore the fact that Lambert succeeded despite some awfully bad luck, including injuries at critical times -- Exhibit A Barzal's exit for two months -- and assorted other dilemmas.
Nor was it Lambert's fault that his best defensive defenseman, Adam Pelech, and crack goalie, Sorokin, both flubbed the same OT play. Let's face it, the fates were not on the Islanders' side.
Sorokin's stellar work right through the sixth game absolves him of any further blame. Or, as one press box observer noted, "You don't deserve to win many games when you score one goal -- especially when it's by a fourth-liner."
Therefore, bolstering the offense will be a Lou off-season priority. And that may mean changing Barzal's linemates, and style, going into next season.
One scout who has studied Mat's style puts it this way: "Barzy may be one of the most aesthetically beautiful skaters on ice, but unless that translates into better production, it won't be long before the league catches on."
And since Barzal is an essential cog in the broken power play machine, new maneuvers must be designed to fit his style entering the zone.
Bo Horvat was the glove that fit Barzy's hand at the beginning but not in the first round when that PP was so badly needed to work.
With that in mind, expect Lou to seek an attacker -- make that plural -- in the elite class, assuming such a talent is available.
What's more, the offense conundrum demands a review of the Identity Line. Specifically, the high command must decide whether the team can afford a trio that combined for a season-long total of 19 goals.
Lou must decide whether those body-bashers remain a low-scoring luxury the team still can afford although these are players the fans still love.
Lamoriello loves a winner, not just a fourth line that hits a lot but scores little.
Think about it for a second:
Aren't you glad you're not burdened with being boss?