For the New York Islanders to succeed, they must be daring -- because daring can work and has worked in the past. I know because I was there.
Make no mistake, the Hurricanes are beatable.
Yeah, even at home in dear, sweet Raleigh where the Canes Southern Comfort has been uncomfortable.
For the Islanders to succeed, they must be daring -- because daring can work and has worked in the past. I know because I was there.
Not only can The Maven's Plan work but it also could make this series a win for the Islanders. (I kid you not, as you will see how the formula once worked.)
Okay, fasten your seat belts, off we go, by the numbers: And, if you want to know the secret word it is fresh -- as in freshness.
1. Coach Lane Lambert must replace Ilya Sorokin with Semyon Varlamov in Game Five. Nothing against Ilya; he's paid his dues and got us into the post season. But my eyes tell me he's worn out; needs a respite. Varly is experienced, rested and certainly is worth the gamble. Lou Lamoriello kept him for a reason, right?
2. Return Josh Bailey to the lineup. No, this is not for sentimental reasons. Bails also is rested, will be motivated and, what the heck, why not? Also, add Simon Holmstrom, if the spirit moves you, coach Lambert.
3. Here's the toughie because I love the guy. Either bench Mat Barzal or save him just for power plays. Last night he seemed worn; not ready enough to be an asset. Granted it's a gamble.
4. If the coaching staff does not believe that Alex Romanov is really ready, gamble on Samuel Bolduc.
These are exceptionally dramatic changes but they are necessary to regenerate the team in goal, on defense and up front. If you watched last night's loss carefully, you'll know the reason why.
Now here's proof positive how such a roster jolt has worked in the past and, specifically, in the greatest playoff comeback of all-time.
In the 1942 Cup Final, Detroit led Toronto three games to none. Leafs coach
Hap Day then stunned the hockey world with unreal moves. To wit: First, he benched his leading scorer and future Hall of Famer Gordie Drillon. Also, he benched his best defenseman Bucko McDonald.
Drillon was replaced by utility forward and sometime minor leaguer Don Metz.
McDonald was replaced by inexperienced rookies Ernie Dickens and Bob Goldham.
Metz turned into a scoring hero while Dickens and Goldham added freshness to the blue line corps. Altogether the trio helped the Leafs win four straight games and the Stanley Cup.
It took a lot of moxie for Day to pull off the dramatic changes but they had to be made. So, we shall see what the Isles general staff decides to do.
Now one more look at last night:
For starters, we all know that Carolina is a good team, but they are beatable, especially if the Islanders pounding removes center Jack Drury from the lineup as Ryan Pulock's thunderous hit did last night.
Make no mistake, the Canes are physically hurting and Lambert was right to accent a hard hitting start to the game. It worked. The Visitors were back on their heels for almost four minutes from the start.
Then came the bad luck; or incorrect officiating, if you will. The goalie interference penalty on Zach Parise did not deserve to be called. Parise -- never known for running goalies -- was pushed into Antti Raanta.
And then Pulock gets called for his hit on Drury and the five-on-three resulted in the game's first goal. Not the end of the world, mind you, but deflating nonetheless.
What was more deflating, to be sure was Matt Martin's end of the period whack that cost another penalty and at 1:15 of the second, the Canes score another power\player and we're down 2-0.; Soon to be followed by Sibby Aho's breakaway on which he made it look easy to beat Sorokin.
Solutions, such as The Maven Plan, require better penalty kills for the pure and simple reason that the Islanders power play has reverted to its frustrating non-productive form.
Can it be fixed by tomorrow? Sometimes hockey miracles happen.
So, back to the point. There should be some changes made. The Devils replaced Vitek Vance with Akira Schmid and beat the Rangers with the backup. If Schmid could do it, so can Varly.
There you have The Maven's plan and, do you know what, the Isles can beat Carolina with the same lineup as they employed in Game Three.
BUT: Sorokin must be at his best; unnecessary Matt Martin-type penalties are to be avoided and, if not, the PK must be A-1.
Yes, Antti Raanta has played well in goal for the foe, but his name isn't Georges Vezina; and even Vezina was beaten once in a while; sometimes often!
The game is there for the Isles to win just as they did last Friday.
And I say this with conviction whether the Isles high command listens to The Maven or not!