Last Night's 4-2 Win Over The Rangers Made It Officially Official, The Isles Are Back
Now before literally everyone jumps down my throat. I realize this team is still a point shy of playoff contention, and with the way the Caps, Blue Jackets, and Penguins have been playing, making it out of the East is going to be tougher than ever. This blog isn’t to announce that the Isles are all of a sudden a cup contender after a big win over the Rangers. This team is merely back to contending for a playoff spot, which following the first half of the season, is all Isles fans can ask for.
Last night reminded me of how fun this team can be when things are clicking. JT was doing was JT things, Josh Bailey continued to make the argument that he is indeed good at ice hockey, and just like we all predicted back in July, that deadly Gionta-Ladd duo stepped up when needed most. It was truly the team we’ve all been waiting to see since October, and they showed up at the absolute right time.
Last night’s win had a different feeling to it. Yes, the team has been this close to getting into a playoff spot before. Yes, they still have a long way to go with a healthy amount of the season remaining, but to win in the fashion they did, while snapping the Ranger’s 6 game winning streak; that’s enough to have Isles fans & myself alike flying high and right back to feeling that this team can beat anyone on any given night.
The Isles are back in contention and playing some of their best hockey. With both Hammer and Clutterbuck set to return from injury just as the club is hitting their stride, it’s anyones guess as to just what this team can do and yes I am totally aware that this last paragraph can go horribly wrong and be thrown back in my face as early as next month.
As a die-hard Isles fan once told me, #vrooooommmmmmmm.
PS – The Isles are 6-1 in their last 7 meetings with the Rangers. Isn’t that a fun fact? I think that’s a fun fact.