Brind'Amour's Words Fueling Islanders Fanbase As Series Shifts To UBS

The New York Islanders' faithful was crushed after officials missed a high-sticking call leading to the Carolina Hurricanes' overtime winner Wednesday night.

The anger grew, knowing that the Islanders had earned no power plays in the 4-3 loss while the Hurricanes had six opportunities, capitalizing on one.

If that didn't make the fanbase irate enough, the comments made by Carolina head coach Rod Brind'Amour during his postgame media press conference added fuel to the fire as he complained about a missed call.

Early in the third period, Jean-Gabriel Pageau "Tomahawked" Teuvo Teravainen, breaking his hand as he will miss the rest of the series, at least, per Brind'Amour.

"The guy absolutely tomahawk chops him. Absolutely," Brind'Amour said on Pageau. "I know we had all the power plays, so you're not going to make it a 5-on-3, but go take a look at the video. He's out for the series, so there you go. They're going to complain about all the power plays, but it's a tomahawk chop. We just watched it. He has to have surgery tomorrow. There you go. So I'm a little pissed, I'll be honest with you."

Islanders fans' jaws hit the proverbial floor.

"Calling this an 'absolute tomahawk' is hilarious," Twitter user @CannonKrewe said. 

"It's hysterical seeing a guy complain about the refs in which he watched his team have a 6-0 PP advantage and was on the beneficial side of two blown calls that led directly to the GWG, lmao," responded @servy8229. 

As the skin boiled and the uncontrollable laughs reigned down, proverbially, throughout Wednesday night and currently ongoing, Islanders head coach Lane Lambert had some words for Brind'Amour after uttering little to nothing directly after the game. 

"I've told you guys in the past I respect what Rod says," Lambert said Thursday. "I was surprised at his comments last night. That play happens probably 25/30 times a game. And the player that was injured continued to play on for the rest of the power play.

"Our player (Pageau) is an honest, hard player, certainly isn't intending to injure anyone. I was just surprised to hear the comment."

While Lambert did share his thoughts, there's a good portion of the fan base that liked the manner in which he handled the situation.

"Brind'Amour knows he got the calls, and it's likely to even out. He also knows the Isles are getting stronger as the series goes on. He's engaging a bit, but Lambert isn't," @timothygilroy7 said. "Lambert is gonna let the boys handle it. Hate losing game 2, but a huge opportunity to come out strong at UBS."

There was another situation like this, the last time the Islanders were in the playoffs, where an Islanders coach remained calm while another coach lost his cool in the media. 

Back in 2021, the New York Islanders faced off against the Boston Bruins in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in what was a wild series. 

After Game 5, which the Islanders won 5-4 to take a 3-2 series lead, Boston head coach Bruce Cassidy had some choice words about missed calls.

"It's a very well-respected management and coach staff over there," Cassidy said, per Mollie Walker of The New York Post. "But they sell a narrative over there that they're the New York Saints rather than the New York Islanders."

The Islanders went three-for-four on the power play, and Cassidy wasn't too fond that his group only got two opportunities. 

At that point in the series, the Islanders had six power-play goals on 14 opportunities, while the Bruins had five goals on 11 chances.

"You'll have to ask him about that," Trotz said in response. "Just look where we wound up during the year. We were one of the least penalized teams in the whole league. So, I don't know what he means by that. You'll have to ask him."

With Game 6 shifting to Nassau Coliseum, the Islanders faithful got behind the "New York Saints" comment, turning the phrase into chants, t-shirts, and ultimately a war cry.

The Islandes ended the series that night, winning 4-2 behind a rowdy crowd,

Albeit not the same situation, with the Islanders down 2-0 against the Hurricanes, the series shifts to Long Island for the first-ever playoff game at UBS Arena.

Fans are amped up, and so are the players.

"Yeah, it'll be emotional. It'll be a lot of fun," Kyle Palmieri said. "It's gonna be loud. A lot of the guys are still here from the run from a couple of years ago, and we're looking forward to it getting back in front of our fans, and I know the fans are looking forward to it too."

"A lot of good memories at the Coliseum, but it's time to start some new ones at UBS."

Scott Mayfield challenged the fans. 

"I expect to be loud. You know, the Coliseum was loud. I don't know if they can get it to the same level, but that'd be nice," Mayfield said. "It was a fun place to play, for sure. So we'll see what it's like tomorrow night."

Puck drop for Game 3 is slated for 7 PM ET.