Starry night for Isles
THE ISLANDERS certainly seem like they’re going to give the fans at Nassau Coliseum plenty to cheer about during their final season in the building.
It was an emotional Saturday night in Uniondale that came to a fitting conclusion as the Islanders won their final home opener at the Coliseum, beating the Hurricanes for the second consecutive night, this time 4-3.
“It was insane out there from this morning on,” said Josh Bailey, who scored the game-winning goal. “You came to the rink at 10 or 10:30 and you saw people tailgating and getting fired up and ready to go. It’s stuff that you envision as a kid. Growing up and playing road hockey with all of my buddies, you imagine that kind of atmosphere and that kind of crowd and playing in the NHL. It’s stuff you’ll always remember. I think you’ll probably appreciate it even more when you’re done … we were happy to do our part and give them something to cheer about. Hopefully we keep doing that going forward.”
John Tavares struck first with a power play goal 3:50 into the first period, the captain’s first score of the season. Carolina’s Jiri Tlusty tied things with a power play goal at 14:13, but Tavares would answer just 31 seconds later, setting up a goal with a heads up, hustle play and a beautiful pass to Cory Conacher who scored on what was essentially an empty net. Tlusty would fire back in closing seconds of the period to tie the game at two goals apiece.
Brock Nelson and Bailey both scored in a chippy, penalty-filled second period to make it 4-2. Tlusty would complete his hat trick with six minutes remaining, but the Isles hung on in the final minutes to send the rowdy crowd home happy.
“When you have (the fans) cheering for you, you really realize how loud it gets in there and how passionate the fans are and the chanting and cheering,” said backup goaltender Chad Johnson, who earned a win in his Islanders debut behind 21 saves. “I don’t know any other rink that has sort of that atmosphere that you have here. It’s has a college atmosphere to it with the energy and the chanting. It was fun to be a part of.”