The 2-0 series lead the Islanders are taking into Sunday's Game 3 matinee in Pittsburgh is well-earned. They were the better team throughout two games at the raucous Coliseum. And in Game 2 they clearly had the Penguins rattled, despite the fact that the Pens' core has been through it all over the years in the postseason.

But in the NHL playoffs, no lead is safe, and Barry Trotz knows that as well as anybody. Just last year, when he was with Washington, the division-winning Captials fell behind 2-0 in the first tround against Columbus after dropping the first two games in overtime. They needed double-overtime to take Game 3 and eventually winning four straight to take the series before winning the Stanley Cup.

The Islanders had every reason to crack after allowing the opening goal following five missed power-play opportunities.

However, it was New York that kept its composure and erased a one-goal deficit en route to a 3-1 victory and commanding 2-0 series lead against Pittsburgh.

The Islanders are supposed to be the inexperienced team after missing the previous two postseasons, but never flinched while facing adversity.

This is everything the Islanders could have hoped for.

They made a charge at the end of the season to secure home-ice advantage in the first round of the NHL playoffs, and they've made it count. They used two third-period goals to take Game 2 from the Penguins Friday night, 3-1, in front of a raucous Coliseum crowd and take a 2-0 series lead into Sunday's Game 3 in Pittsburgh.

The Islanders have their first 2-0 lead in a series since 1983, when they won their fourth straight Stanley Cup. 

The opening game of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals series between the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins had it all.

It went to overtime, featured three ties, nine penalties -- including a boarding call on the Islanders' Anders Lee that resulted in a potential injury for Penguins defenseman Erik Gudbranson -- and a whole bunch of after-the-whistle pushing and shoving. Meanwhile, the teams traded seven goals, the last of which might remain a viral sensation until the Stanley Cup is hoisted in June.

Anyone ready for a few more of these?

The Islanders wiped the slate clean on their power play entering the playoffs.

It was one of the big concerns entering their first-round series against the Penguins, the fact that they had the third-worst power play in the NHL at 14.5 percent and finished the regular season having converted just three of their previous 50 power-play attempts. 

But in the Islanders' Game 1 overtime win against the Penguins on Wednesday, it took all of 25 seconds for the Islanders to score on their first power-play chance of the playoffs, Brock Nelson burying a Jordan Eberle feed in front to put the Isles up 2-1 late in the first period.

Barry Trotz has certainly earned the benefit of the doubt after winning the Stanley Cup last year with Washington and leading the Islanders to an improbable playoff berth. Even so, there were a few eyebrows raised regarding his decision to play Tom Kuhnhackl in a top-six spot over Michael Dal Colle in Game 1 Wednesday night against the Penguins.

There won't be anybody doubting Kuhnhackl's presence in the Game 2 lineup after the forward, who won two Stanley Cups with Pittsburgh, had an effective 17:42 in the Islanders' Game 1 overtime victory.

As expected, Robin Lehner is likely the Islanders' starting goalie for Game 1 of their first-round series against the Penguins Wednesday night at the Coliseum. Per reports, Thomas Greiss was the only goalie participating in the Isles' optional morning skate, an indication that Lehner will start.

Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin didn't partake in Pittsburgh's optional skate. He's considered a game-time decision along with Zach Aston-Reese, meaning Pittsburgh's lineup is subject to change.

However, based on practice reports from Tuesday, here are the projected lineups for Game 1.

Islanders

The Penguins have their longtime stars and the championship pedigree, but the Islanders have been up for every challenge this season, and what they may lack in individual talent is made up for in commitment and chemistry.

With that in mind, here's a look at how the Islanders and Penguins match up heading into the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.

FORWARDS

In Game 1 of the Opening Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Islanders picked up an exhilirating overtime win over the Penguins to kick off the series.

With the Coliseum packed to the ceiling, the Islanders looked to get on the board first in the opening minute. However, the goal was called back as an Isles player was deemed offside. But less than a minute later, Jordan Eberle potted the first goal of the night. 

Phil Kessel would tie the game up for the Penguins later in the period, but the Isles skated into the locker room with the lead after one thanks to a power play goal by Brock Nelson.  >> Box Score

The Rangers capped their season with an overtime win over the Penguins, 4-3, on the road. >> Box score

First Period:

• 6:36 PIT Sidney Crosby: Assists: Jake Guentzel, Jared McCann
• 12:48 NYR Brendan Smith

The Rangers are out of the playoffs and relegated to setting a foundation for next season and playing a spoiler role.

Friday, New York lost its third straight but nearly prevented the Columbus Blue Jackets from clinching a playoff spot. The Rangers scored with seven seconds left in regulation before losing 3-2 in a shootout.

It seems likely that veteran Henrik Lundqvist will start in goal for the Rangers after Alexandar Georgiev started against the Blue Jackets.

By losing to the Maple Leafs on Monday and failing to close in on the Capitals, the Islanders left themselves open to losing control of their destiny as they hope to open the playoffs next week at Nassau Coliseum.

But the idle Isles caught two breaks on Tuesday when the Penguins, who are two points behind the Isles in third place in the Metropolitan Division, lost 4-1 to a lottery-bound Red Wings team, and the Blue Jackets fell 6-2 to the Bruins. Carolina defeated Toronto 4-1 to jump Columbus in the standings.

The most important piece of business for the Islanders was taken care of Saturday night when they punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup playoffs. Now they look ahead to which seed they might get and who they might face when the first round starts next week.

But even though there are just three games remaining in the NHL regular season entering their Monday night matchup against John Tavares and the Maple Leafs, the Isles can finish anywhere from first in the Metropolitan Division to the last wild-card spot.

Let's take a look at all the playoff scenarios as the Islanders, who currently occupy the No. 2 spot in the Metro, prepare for the final week of the season:

Metropolitan Division champions

The Rangers allowed five unanswered goals after taking an early two-goal lead as they lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2 on Monday at Madison Square Garden. >> Box score

First period:

• 8:25 NYR Brendan Lemieux; Assists: Pavel Buchnevich, Mika Zibanejad
• 15:15 NYR Vinni Lettieri (power play); Assists: Tony DeAngelo, Filip Chytil
• 15:41 PIT Nick Bjugstad; Assists: Marcus Pettersson, Dominik Simon

The Rangers (28-32-13), who are out of playoff contention, are coming off a 3-2 home loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday.

They have had three days to prepare for Toronto. The teams have split their first two meetings this season.

Defenseman John Gilmour and forward Vinni Lettieri were called up from Hartford of the American Hockey League for the game Tuesday. Lettieri played in his 19th game for the Rangers this season. Gilmour played in the Rangers' final 28 games last season but was playing his first NHL game this season.

New Jets running back Le'Veon Bell had every intention of returning to the Steelers during their Week 7 bye to sign his franchise tender, hit the field several weeks later and play out the rest of the season, believing he had no other choice if he wanted an accrued season in order to hit free agency this year.

But in an interview with ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Bell revealed that he learned from social media that he didn't need to play at all to hit free agency as long as the Steelers didn't tag him again. Once he confirmed that with his agent, his goal to remain off the field the whole season to preserve his health for more guaranteed money was back in play.

"That was the biggest mix-up the whole time," Bell told Fowler. "I thought I had to sit out until Week 10 or else they can tag me again. Around before the bye week, that's when I found out I didn't have to play."

Disgruntled wide receiver Antonio Brown and the Steelers have agreed it is time to part ways and Pittsburgh will look to deal the six-time Pro Bowler this offseason. Here are the latest reports and updates on Brown...

March 8, 5:53 PM:

Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the Steelers are close to trading Brown, though the report doesn't say which team is about to acquire him.

Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports adds that a Brown trade is expected to be done within 24 hours.

The Devils couldn't mount a third-period comeback as the Penguins took them down, 4-3, at The Rock.

First period:

• 2:14 NJD Jesper Bratt; Assists: Marcus Johansson, Mirco Mueller
• 6:49 PIT Zach Aston-Reese; Assists: Sidney Crosby, Brian Dumoulin
• 12:12 NJD Marcus Johansson; Assists: Mirco Mueller, Jesper Bratt
• 18:24 PIT Nick Bjugstad; Assists: Marcus Pettersson, Dominik Simon

The Devils raced out to a 3-0 lead and blew out the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-3 on Monday at PPG Paints Arena. >> Box score

First period:

• 13:08 NJD Travis Zajac; Assists: Miles Wood, Steven Santini
• 14:53 NJD Damon Severson; Assists: Blake Coleman, Travis Zajac

Second period:

• 3:30 NJD Brian Boyle (short handed); Assist: Pavel Zacha
• 4:28 PIT Derick Brassard; Assists: Marcus Pettersson, Juuso Riikola
• 12:57 NJD Blake Coleman; Assists: Travis Zajac, Will Butcher

The Islanders blew a 1-0 lead in the third period and lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 in a five-round shootout on Monday at Nassau Coliseum. >> Box score

Shootout:

• NYI Mathew Barzal: MISS
• PIT Phil Kessel: GOAL
• NYI Leo Komarov: MISS
• PIT Sidney Crosby: MISS
• NYI Josh Bailey: GOAL
• PIT Evgeni Malkin: MISS
• NYI Anthony Beauvillier: MISS
• PIT Kris Letang: MISS
• NYI Valtteri Filppula: MISS
• PIT Jake Guentzel: GOAL

Sidney Crosby and Phil Kessel each had three points for the Penguins as they shut down the Islanders with a 6-2 victory Thursday night. >> Box score

First period:

• 8:34 PIT Kris Letang; Assists: Derick Brassard, Phil Kessel
• 17:43 NYI Brock Nelson (Short handed); Assists: Tom Kuhnhackl, Scott Mayfield
• 19:31 PIT Kris Letang; Assists: Bryan Rust, Brian Dumoulin

Second period:

• 7:21 PIT Riley Sheahan; Assists: Evgeni Malkin, Jamie Oleksiak
• 12:09 PIT Phil Kessel (Power play); Assists: Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel
• 17:37 PIT Phil Kessel; Assists: Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel

Third period:

• 4:23 NYI Anders Lee; Assists: Ryan Pulock
• 13:00 PIT Sidney Crosby; Assists: Phil Kessel, Jake Guentzel

An online sportsbook already pegs the Jets as favorites to land Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell in free agency. And several other NFL sources reportedly believe he's headed to the Meadowlands, too.

One Steelers source told Bleacher Report's Mike Freeman, "I think it's a foregone conclusion" that Bell dons green and white next season, and several other people around the league believe the same.

Of the 10 NFL personnel sources Freeman spoke to, six believe Bell will be a Jet next season after he sit out the 2018 season with Pittsburgh.

Brian Boyle scored a hat trick as the Devils snapped a three-game losing skid with a 5-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday at PPG Paints Arena. >> Box score

First period:

• 2:24 NJD Will Butcher; Assists: Joey Anderson, Jean-Sebastien Dea
• 9:24 PIT Jamie Oleksiak; Assists: Olli Maatta, Jake Guentzel
• 12:27 NJD Brian Boyle; Assists: Ben Lovejoy, Jean-Sebastien Dea

Second period:

• 7:38 NJD Brian Boyle (power play); Assists: Kyle Palmieri, Will Butcher
• 19:40 NJD Brian Boyle (power play); Assists: Taylor Hall, Will Butcher

The Devils jumped out to an early lead but things began to unravel as the Senators exploded for seven goals in a 7-3 rout to hand New Jersy its fourth loss in its last five games. >> Box score

First period:

• 3:14 NJD Taylor Hall; Assists: Nico Hischier, Andy Greene
• 11:20 NJD Kyle Palmieri; Assists: Ben Lovejoy, Nico Hischier
• 12:05 OTT Thomas Chabot; Assists: Bobby Ryan, Chris Tierney
• 12:58 OTT Mark Stone; Assists: Matt Duchene, Ryan Dzingel 

The New York Rangers lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2 on Sunday at PPG Paints Arena. >> Box score

First period:

• 3:14 PIT Patric Hornqvist; Assists: Carl Hagelin, Kris Letang
• 15:17 NYR Michael Grabner
• 19:06 NYR Brendan Smith; Assists: Vinni Lettieri, Paul Carey

Second period:

• 13:15 PIT Dominik Simon; Assists: Daniel Sprong, Brian Dumoulin
• 14:30 PIT Phil Kessel; Assist: Conor Sheary

Third period:

• 12:33 PIT Sidney Crosby; Assists: Kessel, Jamie Oleksiak
• 18:01 PIT Carl Hagelin (ENG)

Ralph Vacchiano, SNY.tv

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Even by Odell Beckham Jr.'s standards, this was a spectacular play: a leaping, one-handed, almost-backhanded catch at the 5-yard line, followed by enough body control to hang on, switch hands and scamper untouched into the end zone. There was a gasp from the crowd, followed by the loudest cheers of the day.

There was only one problem: about 35 yards behind him, the play had already blown up.

Jimmy Vesey scored the go-ahead goal in the third period as the New York Rangers ended the regular season with a 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday at Madison Square Garden. >> Read more

First period:

• 9:16 PIT Nick Bonino; Assists: Dominik Simon, Phil Kessel
• 13:54 NYR Ryan McDonagh; Assist: Michael Grabner
• 18:31 NYR Derek Stepan (power play); Assists: McDonagh, Mika Zibanejad

Second period:

• 13:38 PIT Carter Rowney

Third period:

• 7:23 NYR Jimmy Vesey; Assist: Zibanejad

A quick take on Syracuse's 77-66 win over Pittsburgh on Saturday afternoon:

WHAT HAPPENED: Chris Jones' layup with 13:50 left in the first half cut Syracuse's lead to 14-8. From there, the Orange held Pitt scoreless until 5:12 left before intermission, and by then, SU had taken a 36-8 lead.

The three-day Christmas holiday break in the past, the Pittsburgh Penguins and New Jersey Devils return to action Tuesday night at the Prudential Center to finish a home-and-home set that began with a 4-1 Penguins win in Pittsburgh last Friday.

That victory helped the Penguins (22-8-5) continue their impressive month of December. Pittsburgh has recorded at least one point in all but one of the 12 games it has played this month. The Penguins are 9-1-2 in December, a record that includes a season-high seven-game winning streak from Dec. 1-Dec. 14.

On the other side, Friday's result saw the Devils (13-14-7) continue their struggles this month. New Jersey, which had snapped a seven-game losing skid with a 4-0 home-ice win over the Philadelphia Flyers last Thursday, is just 3-7-2 in December.

PITTSBURGH -- At the start of what Ben McAdoo called "real football," he better hope he didn't just see the real Giants' offense.

But unfortunately for him, 12 games into the season, it sure looks like that what it is.

It remains the biggest mystery of the Giants' season, and at this point very likely the key to their demise: What has happened to what was once, and was supposed to be again a top-10 offense? The Giants gained an embarrassing 234 total yards in Sunday's 24-14 loss to the Steelers.

PITTSBURGH -- It takes a lot to wipe the smile off of Victor Cruz's face, but the Giants finally found a way by ignoring him Sunday.

The Giants' former star receiver didn't have a single pass thrown to him during the Giants' 24-14 loss to the Steelers. Eli Manning threw 39 passes in the game to seven different targets, including 25 to three other receivers. But nothing went toward Cruz, despite the offensive struggles.

Asked if that was frustrating, Cruz said, "Take a guess."

PITTSBURGH -- Odell Beckham Jr. has had it with the officiating crew that he believes mishandled the Giants' 24-14 loss to the Steelers on Sunday -- the same crew he dealt with in his last two games against his nemesis, Josh Norman. He implied their rocky history has tilted the playing field against him.

And he believes they should be banned from officiating any Giants games again.

"It's not like I'm sitting here saying the refs are the reason we lost the game, but there's plenty of (bad) calls in the game and anybody can go watch the film. Anybody," Beckham said. "Anybody can go watch the film and see exactly what was going on. I don't know. I don't really think that we should have this crew any more when the Giants are playing with the past history and everything that's gone on."

The Pittsburgh Steelers ended the New York Giants' winning streak with a familiar formula.

Ben Roethlisberger passed for 289 yards and two touchdowns, Le'Veon Bell rolled up 182 yards of total offense, and Pittsburgh's resurgent defense harassed Eli Manning into a flurry of mistakes in a dominant 24-14 win on Sunday.

Antonio Brown edged good buddy Odell Beckham Jr. in their personal showdown, catching six passes for 54 yards and an acrobatic scoring grab at the back of the end zone. Tight end Ladarius Green added six receptions for 110 yards, both career highs, and a touchdown as the Steelers (7-5) won their third straight to keep pace with Baltimore atop the AFC North.

Manning completed just 24 of 39 passes for 195 yards with two touchdowns and two picks in the red zone for the Giants (8-4), whose six-game run ended with a thud. Beckham was largely a non-factor despite a game-high 10 receptions for 100 yards.

First Period 

• 19:47 NYI Johnny Boychuk; Assists: Josh Bailey, Brock Nelson

Second Period

• 2:10 NYI Jason Chimera; Assists: Scott Mayfield, Anthony Beauvillier

The Islanders look for their second victory in a row as they take on the rival Penguins at Barclays Center on Wednesday night. 

According to STATS...

• The Penguins haven't played since Saturday, when they beat the New Jersey Devils, 4-3 in a shootout, in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh has not had consecutive wins sin November 5 & 8 (at San Jose, vs. Edmonton). In their last three games, the Penguins are 0-for-11 on the power play and have allowed five power-play goals in just nine opponent power-play opportunities.

The New York Giants are getting some help on beating Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers by learning from Eli Manning's champion brother Peyton.

Peyton, a two-time Super Bowl champion who retired after the Denver Broncos won Super Bowl 50 in February, visited the Giants' facility on Tuesday, according to ESPN's Jordan Raanan. 

Eli is facing the Steelers for the fourth time in his career, the first since 2012. Eli is 1-2 in those games, while Peyton, including the playoffs, went 4-1 in his career against the Roethlisberger-led Steelers, including a win in last year's AFC Divisional Game. Peyton threw for 1,250 yards, eight touchdowns and one interception in those matchups.

"He gave some insight," Eli said to Raanan. "Just some stuff that was successful; he's played Pittsburgh a lot over the years. Played 'em last year in the playoffs. So just had a few tips or ideas that may fit into our system."

A quick take on Syracuse's 76-61 loss to Pitt on Saturday afternoon to close out the 2016 season:

WHAT HAPPENED: Already down 35-21 to begin the second half, reserve quarterback Zack Mahoney threw a backbreaking pick-6 to Dane Johnson, giving Pitt a 42-21 lead with 11:38 left in the third quarter. 

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The signs of progress at Pittsburgh are unmistakable. From the remodeled offices to the return of the popular "script" logo on the helmets to the arrival of living, breathing adrenaline rush Pat Narduzzi as head coach in December 2014, the vibe today is in stark contrast to the one tackle Adam Bisnowaty felt when he arrived in the summer of 2012.

Henrik Lundqvist was pulled after allowing four second-period goals in the New York Rangers' 6-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden. >> Read more

First period:

• 4:22 NYR Rick Nash (power play); Assists: Chris Kreider, Mats Zuccarello

Second period:

• 2:02 PIT Scott Wilson; Assists: Phil Kessel, Nick Bonino
• 4:58 PIT Sidney Crosby; Assist: Ian Cole
• 10:12 PIT Kessel; Assist: Bonino
• 12:57 PIT Crosby; Assist: Kris Letang
• 16:42 PIT Conor Sheary; Assists: Crosby, Carl Hagelin

Third period:

• 13:05 PIT Matt Cullen; Assists: Justin Schultz, Eric Fehr

J.T. Miller scored a shorthanded goal with 59 seconds remaining in the second period as the New York Rangers overcame a 2-0 first-period deficit to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2 on Monday at PPG Paints Arena. >> Read more

First period:

• 1:02 PIT Jake Guentzel; Assists: Phil Kessel, Trevor Daley
• 13:12 PIT Guentzel; Assists: Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel

Second period:

• 4:51 NYR Rick Nash
• 14:23 NYR Michael Grabner; Assist: Ryan McDonagh
• 19:11 NYR J.T. Miller (short handed); Assist: Kevin Hayes

Third period:

• 12:46 NYR Hayes; Assist: McDonagh
• 18:37 NYR Derek Stepan (empty net); Assists: Nash, Grabner

Andy Graziano, SNY.TV Twitter

The Islanders just went through yet another tumultuous week where an expected coaching change never materialized and general manager Garth Snow broke his silence with the media, speaking to reporters after Friday's practice, in what was thought to be a forced move after Frank Seravalli of TSN revealed details of a discussion the two had in Toronto at the GM meetings.

With some sarcasm, snark and ill-advised humor, Snow offered a vote of confidence for his embattled head coach, Jack Capuano, whose system is either not working anymore with the current roster of players at his disposal, or the players have simply tired of the message being preached and have tuned it out. He also gave support to said roster, all while feverishly working the phones looking for offensive help.

First Period 

• 15:19 PIT Sidney Crosby (Power Play); Assists: Kris Letang, Chris Kunitz

Second Period

• 1:51 NYI Brock Nelson (Power Play); Assists: Ryan Strome, John Tavares
• 2:34 NYI Anthony Beauvillier (unassisted) 
• 13:55 PIT Trevor Daley; Assists: Phil Kessel, Chris Kunitz

The Islanders host the Penguins on Friday night. According to STATS...

• Pittsburgh was blown out, 7-1, by Washington at Verizon Center on Wednesday night, losing for the second time in its last three tilts overall. The last time the Pens lost by more than six goals was when they were shut out 7-0 by the Hurricanes on December 16, 2001.
• New York was blanked, 4-0, by Tampa Bay at Barclays Center on Monday night, dropping its third straight game by a combined score of 11-3. The whitewash was the first for the Isles since losing 5-0 to the Penguins on April 2 last season.

Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive

PITTSBURGH -- Todd Bowles was right about one thing: The blame falls on him.

He wasn't solely responsible for the Jets' 31-13 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, of course, and no double-digit loss can be pinned on one bad decision or two. But the Jets head coach, who built up so much optimism with a 10-win season in his rookie year, is the one responsible for this current 1-4 mess. He has a mistake-prone team and a bunch of cranky players crying out for leadership.

During the season, Bent's Game Analysis charts games for some of the Jets' upcoming opponents, enabling a breakdown of what to watch out for on gameday…

2014 began similarly to this year for the Jets, with a murderer's row of top teams in the first half of the season. That was the last time these teams met and the Jets shocked the Steelers with a 20-13 win to break an eight-game losing streak.

Despite being competitive most weeks, the season had spiralled out of control -- much like this one seems destined to. With Geno Smith benched, the Jets took a 17-0 lead as Mike Vick threw two touchdown passes, including a long one to TJ Graham. Unlikely hero Jaiquawn Jarrett forced three turnovers to help the Jets hang on. That was too little too late, but a similar upset would perhaps get this Jets season back on track. 

Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis and wide receiver Eric Decker sat out practice Wednesday with injuries, and they're both uncertain for New York's game at Pittsburgh on Sunday.

Revis is dealing with a hamstring issue that caused him to miss most of the fourth quarter of the Jets' 27-17 loss to Seattle last Sunday. New York faces the possibility of facing Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers' strong passing game without the leader of its secondary.

Decker remains week-to-week with a partially torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder. He was originally injured at Buffalo in Week 2, but the shoulder worsened at Kansas City and Decker sat out the game against Seattle.

New York Jets WR Eric Decker said he is still undecided if he will play Sunday vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers even though his shoulder is feeling better this week, according to ESPN's Rich Cimini.

Decker, who missed Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks with a partially torn rotator cuff, said his shoulder feels "better this week than last week," according to Cimini.

The Jets considered placing Decker on injured reserve, but instead are calling him "week-to-week." He did not rule out the possibility of getting surgery at season's end.