The Islanders fed off a raucous crowd at the Coliseum on Wednesday night to come away with a 6-2 win over the Bruins, eliminating Boston in six games.
After falling behind in the series two games to one, the Islanders fought back to win the next three, showcasing the overall talent and depth that led them to this point.
“Definitely a total team effort. I think you need everyone going to beat a team like that,” said Josh Bailey after the Game Six win. “I thought from (Semyon Varlamov) right on out, I thought everyone in the lineup was contributing and we played the way we needed to play to get the win.
“Certainly happy to move on. Again, I think we feel like we still have some unfinished business. We’ll enjoy it tonight and then well start getting ready.”
That “unfinished business” Bailey spoke of is the next team on the docket for the Isles. For the second straight season, the Islanders will face the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Semifinals. Last year, Tampa eliminated New York in six games before ultimately winning the Stanley Cup.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for us, seeing them again in the semifinals,” said Anthony Beauvillier. “I think we’re taking a lot of pride in what we do, and to get back to the spot that we were last year with some unfinished business, I think, like I said, it’s a great opportunity for us and everyone’s excited in the room and we’re really looking forward to it.”
But this time around, there will be no bubble, no neutral site. The Isles will get to face the Lightning in front of their home fans, who had the Coliseum absolutely jumping on Wednesday night.
“It was awesome. The place was rocking tonight,” said Brock Nelson, who scored two goals in the series clincher. “The fans were feeding us energy and the team played great. It was one of those nights, Barry (Trotz) touched on it a bit after the game, you’ll always remember moments like that. It was a big game, a big team effort from everybody, and it just feels good having a full Coliseum behind you there and playing for them.”