Why Winning Game One Was So Important For the Islanders
Playoff hockey is upon us once again, and for the third straight season, the New York Islanders are competing for the Stanley Cup. In the first round, the Islanders are taking on the Pittsburgh Penguins in a rematch of the 2019 first round. On Sunday, Kyle Palmieri scored twice, including tallying the overtime winner. Why was it so important for the Islanders to win the first game of the series?
The Islanders Don’t Like Falling Behind
In 2018-19, the Islanders won game one in the first round and won the series. The next round they played in, they lost game one and got swept in the series.
The next year 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Islanders won three series including the play-in round. In all of those series, they won game one. When they took on the Lightning in the Eastern Conference Finals, they lost the first game 8-2 and lost the series in six.
It’s pretty obvious that the team does better winning game one. They do the same when scoring first which they did in game one.
Winning Game One Significantly Impacts the Series
Unlike last time the Islanders battled with the Penguins, they don’t have home-ice advantage. Taking game one is monumental due to playing away. If the Penguins won game one, they have so much momentum and another home game to potentially go up 2-0 in the series. Instead, the Islanders stole game one and now will allow them to go up 2-0 or split the two-game set.
If the Penguins do take the next game, the Islanders will be heading home in a 1-1 series with nearly 7,000 fans “Rocking the Barn”. It will be even better if the Islanders take another win in Pittsburgh and have momentum and an electric home crowd to propel them to a series win.
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Two Home Games in Uniondale Coming Up
Playing on the road is very tough especially with a loud crowd. With the Penguins announcing they will have 50% capacity next game, the Penguins will have the extra spark. The Islanders have two important home games which could potentially propel them to two straight wins. Since they took game one, they don’t have fear of being down 2-0 heading home, and no matter if it’s a 2-0 lead or a 1-1 series, the Islanders will build off of the home crowd.
