The Critics Thought It Couldn't Be Done, But The Islanders Did It By Themselves!

No, it was not a miracle that the New York Islanders have gained a playoff berth. It was more than that.

No, it was not a miracle that the New York Islanders have gained a playoff berth.

It was more than that.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHLvD1Lrfl8[/embed]

If such a thing exists, it was MORE than a miracle; a superhuman effort in which perseverance and grim determination blended to produce a postseason berth.

This was a team picked -- in September -- by The Hockey News Yearbook to finish behind the Hurricanes, Devils, Rangers, and Penguins.

The Islanders were ripped as "too old and too slow." It should have been "too bold and too flow."

It was a hockey club that often drove its fans nuts as it seemed on a treadmill to oblivion only to be saved in the end by its boss Lou Lamoriello; and just in time, I might add.

Lou's decision to sack Lane Lambert and import Patrick Roy to coach the team will go down in the 51-year Islander's history as one of the most courageous and decisive moves by the high command.

It was Roy's orchestration through thick and a lot of thin — that was what eventually turned this team in the right direction in the homestretch when it counted most.

And it counted most in the last two games against the Presidents' Trophy-winning Rangers. Capturing three out of a possible four points from the Blueshirts was both a technical and emotional boost that carried through to the clincher last night in New Jersey.

But it was much more than that. At one point in the season, the Islanders had lost half of their starting defensemen. 

At the time it didn't seem like much when Lou obtained blueliners, Mike Reilly and Robert Bortuzzo. But each in his own way proved to be an essential asset when it most counted. 

The same could be said about the final week when ace D-man Noah Dobson went down with an injury, and Sebastian Aho stepped in and starred.

Ditto for Kyle MacLean, whose elevation from AHL Bridgeport added the necessary vim, vigor, and vitality late in the 82-game marathon.

In a sense, Lou's most strategic move was one he never made. Rather than trade veteran goalkeeper Semyon Varlamov, Lamoriello realized that goaltending with a solid one-two combo was essential.

Varlamov and Ilya Sorokin made beautiful music together. Varly's record in his last eight games was 7-1-0 with a .939 save percentage. And let's not forget nobody knows goalies better than Lou. Marty Brodeur is Exhibit A.

But when I earlier mentioned "Super Miracle" in terms of the third place division finish, I was referring to the Isles desperate position not very long ago.

"With ten games to go," said Roy, "no one gave us a chance to be part of the playoffs, and now here we are. It's nice to see our guys rewarded for their hard work."

Like The Maven said -- and will keep saying -- "it was a super-miracle.”