Not crying. But I agree with the other guy here. You have another series now, you can move on off of our thread. Good luck.
- PanthersGoal

If we left this blog....

No fans....fits South Florida sports perfectly.
- NYI80123

Dude, at the very least our local politicians made it work and our team stayed. GTFO already, you're against Tampa now.

If we left this blog....


- Isles

Is this the parking lot in sunrise for game one?

Dude, at the very least our local politicians made it work and our team stayed. GTFO already, you're against Tampa now.
- PanthersGoal

Nassau county couldn't even approve plans to build a (frank)ing sonic. They are known for being some of the most corrupt group of politicians for many reasons. A new arena had zero chance. It is why pro teams are rarely located in suburban areas. Too much nonsense. And the epitome of nonsense is having it go to a vote. haha. We had people who didn't even know what hockey was voting on if a new arena should be built. Yea that was fair . Comparing it the the cake walk it probably was to keep the panthers is dumb. Two situations were different in many ways my friend.

And go ahead hate on barclays. Another 100 point season and this playoff series put everything into perspective. Doesn't matter where you play. Our fans still showed up and asserted themselves once again, as the loudest bunch in the league.

Is this the parking lot in sunrise for game one?
- Cptmjl

No. It's the parking lot for tonights game 7

Nassau county couldn't even approve plans to build a (frank)ing sonic. They are known for being some of the most corrupt group of politicians for many reasons. A new arena had zero chance. It is why pro teams are rarely located in suburban areas. Too much nonsense. And the epitome of nonsense is having it go to a vote. haha. We had people who didn't even know what hockey was voting on if a new arena should be built. Yea that was fair . Comparing it the the cake walk it probably was to keep the panthers is dumb. Two situations were different in many ways my friend.

And go ahead hate on barclays. Another 100 point season and this playoff series put everything into perspective. Doesn't matter where you play. Our fans still showed up and asserted themselves once again, as the loudest bunch in the league.
- NYI80123

Fans showed up for playoffs, not for season. It has been noted on the %'s before. But, again, you won....Congrats, and we'll see ya again. Bye now.

It's really time to step out of the dark ages. the league has instructed the officials to "let them play"since the beginning of time. Which is a fricken joke. And will be until Bettman is no longer in charge. For some reason he still thinks fans want to watch bush league hockey in the last ten minutes of a playoff game. Well he should maybe have a look at the playoff ratings so far. i feel for the Isles and know exactly what they are going through. We couldn't get a power play against Boston, LA or SJ in the 3rd period of any of the games we played. It's a travesty and it's gotta get fixed or the NHL will be behind the NBA-D league in ratings.

Fans showed up for playoffs, not for season. It has been noted on the %'s before. But, again, you won....Congrats, and we'll see ya again. Bye now.
- PanthersGoal

Keep thinking statistics makes your point a home run. I also find this the most ironic argument of all time. This is a panthers fan talking about attendance. Just crazy

Keep thinking statistics makes your point a home run. I also find this the most ironic argument of all time. This is a panthers fan talking about attendance. Just crazy
- NYI80123

Dude enough. The Panthers finished four spots better than us in total attendance and one spot better than us in attendance percentage.

Knock it off, you're making everyone else look stupid.

Dude enough. The Panthers finished four spots better than us in total attendance and one spot better than us in attendance percentage.

Knock it off, you're making everyone else look stupid.
- eichiefs9

Just 4 spots? Probably validates my argument even more.

Just 4 spots? Probably validates my argument even more.
- NYI80123

Let's see how their attendance numbers stack up in the 2nd round. Oh wait

Let's see how their attendance numbers stack up in the 2nd round. Oh wait

- Nyislesfan73

Bottom line: The Cats did not do enough to win the 4 games the Islanders won and no one was clutch. The Islanders made adjustments mid series to minimize the possession impact of our top two lines. We got virtually zero scoring from the 3rd and 4th line. The Tavares line abused our 3rd D pairing. Greiss only got beat 2 or 3 times on clean looks. We missed a penalty shot in OT.

The Islanders certainly did enough to win this series and saying anything otherwise is just nonsense. They had the best player in Tavares consistently be dangerous every shift. They had a goalie and defensive strategy that neutralized the Panthers possession and overall shot advantage. They capitalized on PP chances.

Games 1-4 were pretty even affairs with both teams pushing play. The Panthers could not hold leads in games 1 and 3. The Islanders pounced on any opportunity to counterattack. Yes, there were missed calls on both sides and some calls against both that were poop but both teams fans can probably agree it was exciting hockey with both teams pushing for wins.

The issue I have is consistency from officials on subjective calls when they already set the tone for the game. Games 5 and 6 is where it loomed large in my mind. Obviously the Penalty shot in OT was a huge chance for the Panthers and they failed to end the game but it was the correct call and an automatic call just like the Mackenzie slash on Tavares in 2OT.

Instance 1: Game 5. Tavares skates in the zone in a 1 on 2 situation in 2OT. A Dman is fronting him with Jagr back-checking. As good as Tavares is this situation 95% of the time will result in nothing. Jagr sweep checks to get the puck and takes Tavares legs out. Penalty called. Panthers kill it off. While killing the automatic slash committed by Mackenzie, Trocheck has the puck in a 1 on 1 situation with the Islanders Dman in the attacking zone. Right after Trocheck moves the puck around the Dman the defenders stick takes the skates out from under him. No Penalty called for a similar situation that Tavares got the call on.

Instance 2: Game 6 around 3:30 left to go. Post whistle scrums all game with no penalties called and frankly no penalties for post whistle antics since game 2. Huberdeau and an Islander Dman have a post whistle joust. Huberdeau gives him a pop across the logo, the Islanders Dman snaps his head back like someone shot him in the forehead. Ref buys the act and penalty called.

Instance 3: Game 6. Islanders empty net. Trocheck has the puck and has eluded Martin near the offensive blue line. Martin lays out and can't reach Trocheck so he fully extends his arm and sweeps the stick taking both skates out from under him. The ref is watching the play and CHOOSES not to call the penalty on what would have been a chance to end the game. If the roles were reversed and Tavares was getting ready to shoot at the empty net that penalty is called 100% of the time.

Instance 4: Game 6. 2OT. Jagr gets a step on Boychuk to a loose puck in the neutral zone. Jagr gets inside position and Boychuk can't poke the puck away with his stick. Boychuk proceeds to sweep the leg ala Karate Kid. No penalty called on what would have been an odd man rush. If a 44 year old living legend with over 200 games of playoff experience doesn't get the call what can you do.

The adage that you have to lose before you can win should not have a subtle assist by 50/50 calls that side against the team without recent playoff experience or for the team with the superstar or by an official that thinks that the game is already decided and not calling it won't matter. The bottom line it seems is that this is the way playoff hockey is called and it is wrong. The Panthers learned valuable lessons here make no mistake about it. Don't let officials decide your games either subtle or overt. Go out and capitalize on your chances and get that next goal, add to that lead, dig a little deeper such that things out of your control don't effect the outcome.

Once again the Islanders did enough to win this series, no doubt about it. I think we can agree on that. I also think we can agree that the Panthers also did enough to force a game 7 that should be played tonight but alas we won't get to see it. Officials didn't steal this series they only prevented a game 7 that the Islanders may just have won anyway. If the Panthers were better in key areas they would have won it themselves in the games they lead.

Good luck next round... I hope Tampa crushes you.

YOU DO know that your attendance is lower...right?
- PanthersGoal

YOU DO know the majority of this fanbase resides in Nassau, Suffolk, and Eastern Queens portion on LI, not exactly an easy ride to Brooklyn? You realize that many fans were upset about the team being force out of Uniondale to Brooklyn even if its only 25 miles away? You realize that this fanbase has been used to a game day tradition and travel time from driveway to Coliseum lot in less then 25-30 minutes for most fans? Yet despite these hardships, the Islanders fan still packed Barclays for the playoffs and made it rock and a true home-ice advantage in Round 1.

What's your excuse for not filling the building this post season? Better luck next year, maybe the officials will be nicer to the Cats in 2016-2017

No car...Scoreboard centered perfectly.
- PanthersGoal

True, seems like such a waste of a fantastic arena since nobody really uses it

The adage that you have to lose before you can win should not have a subtle assist by 50/50 calls that side against the team without recent playoff experience or for the team with the superstar or by an official that thinks that the game is already decided and not calling it won't matter. The bottom line it seems is that this is the way playoff hockey is called and it is wrong. The Panthers learned valuable lessons here make no mistake about it. Don't let officials decide your games either subtle or overt. Go out and capitalize on your chances and get that next goal, add to that lead, dig a little deeper such that things out of your control don't effect the outcome.

Once again the Islanders did enough to win this series, no doubt about it. I think we can agree on that. I also think we can agree that the Panthers also did enough to force a game 7 that should be played tonight but alas we won't get to see it. Officials didn't steal this series they only prevented a game 7 that the Islanders may just have won anyway. If the Panthers were better in key areas they would have won it themselves in the games they lead.

Good luck next round... I hope Tampa crushes you.
- Rat-a-Holic

It's water under the bridge at this point, I agree with the calls you mentioned, we have some we can bring up too.
And we also know how you feel. Game 6 2013 vs the Pens we saw a very weak call on Crosby giving them a power play in OT that eventually ended the series. And we defintely felt like the isles did enough to Atleast force a game 7. But at the end of the day the isles had to look themselves in the mirror and blame themselves for letting it come to that point where the zebras can dictate the outcome

Dude enough. The Panthers finished four spots better than us in total attendance and one spot better than us in attendance percentage.

Knock it off, you're making everyone else look stupid.
- eichiefs9

They have a much bigger building. And let's be honest. Most nights they have the oppositions fan base filling the joint up. When the Rangers play there they must get 7-8k fans. We bring in 3-4k ourselves. Montreal. Toronto. Chicago. Boston. Having a 20,000 seat arena and droves of the visiting teams people coming in on a nightly basis is the only reason they're ahead of us. They couldn't even sell out playoffs games

The real shame here is that the Panthers had a great year. A talented young group of players that really impressed the hockey world. And an idiot like this Dan Spiegel character represents the fan base as a bunch of whiners who lack real hockey knowledge. Take your lumps. Tip your cap to the better team. Get better and comeback next year.

I just printed this out so I could wipe my a$$ with it.

The real shame here is that the Panthers had a great year. A talented young group of players that really impressed the hockey world. And an idiot like this Dan Spiegel character represents the fan base as a bunch of whiners who lack real hockey knowledge. Take your lumps. Tip your cap to the better team. Get better and comeback next year.
- BringNYIhome

Ya know, your post is quite intriguing. On one hand, I commend you on the compliments of the Panthers this season. As a die-hard panther fan, it is nice to see people finally recognizing the organization other than in a bad way. It got kind of old having people continuously bash the organization, so it's refreshing when people compliment. On the other hand, You lost credibility with the "idiot like Dan Spiegel representing the fan base" Not for nothing, but I'm positive that Spiegel represents 99% of Panther fans' feelings and thoughts about that series. He, along with the rest of the Panther nation has tons of hockey knowledge.
Speaking for myself here, that article was spot on. He said and expressed all the thoughts and emotions I had myself. It was 100% true. You or the other people on this board ( who aren't Panther fans) may not agree, but the truth hurts.
You can call me whatever you want, I really don't care. I can tell you that most Panther fans aren't bitter, sour grapes, sore losers, or whatever else you want call us. We're a fan base who had to watch our team lose a series because of the officials. Plain and Simple. You can mention more scoring, or a better powerplay. You can bring up whatever you want, but the fact is that the officials dictated the game and because of that, we lost. They literally took away goals from us to stop us from having a chance at winning. They would call or miss calls at the most opportune times in favor of the Islanders. what else can a team do when they have to play against an opponent, AND the refs? I can think of two instances that if the refs did their jobs the right way, the Panthers would've won the series in game 6.
The best part about this article, and all the reactions, is that most of the Panther fans aren't even upset anymore. We're celebrating! Seriously. Other than 2012, we haven't had a real team to cheer for up until now. We made history this season. We have a real organization, from top to bottom. We're all excited about next season and all the good things to come.

That's the whole point of this article though. Game 6. Islanders pulled their goalie. Trocheck had the puck, with the intent on scoring empty net. Our players were tripped twice. Not once, but twice in a span of 20 seconds, in front of the refs, with not a single call. If it were Crosby, Malkin, Ovechkin, Toews, or Kane, that would've been an immediate call. Had a call been made ( The right thing to do) , the Panthers, I believe, would have been awarded a goal. ( I know earlier in the season, Huberdeau had a break on an empty net and was tripped, and the ref awarded Huberdeau the goal) That would've given the Panthers a 2-0 lead with just over a minute left. We should've won that game.
Game 3. Let's pretend that Barkov didn't score within the first 2 minutes of the game and the refs prematurely blew the whistle. (similar to Tavares scoring the series ending goal, except they let him keep his, while taking ours away)
Ekblad scored a goal that gave the Panthers a 3-0 lead. That's a giant lead to have, especially in the post season. It was reviewed and not overturned, and then the Islanders used their coaches challenge, which resulted in an overturned goal. That goal was a good goal! Huberdeau was NOT offsides. They showed the replay at least four times, in slow motion, up close, and he was clearly onside. Say what you want about the rest of the game, but that reversal completely changed the game. Instead of a 3-0 lead, with total control over the game, and taking the crowd out of it, it was only a 2-0 lead. It brought the crowd back into the game, and it gave the Islanders a boost. It tilted the ice back in the Islanders favor, and it was once again, the wrong call. The Panthers dominated 80% of that series, and had the Panthers had a 3-0 lead in that game, chances are they are winning game 3. If the refs did their jobs correctly, and given the information I just wrote, the Panthers would've won the series 4-2. What about Game 5? Huberdeau has a break away and scores, as well as injuring himself temporarily. The refs decide to rule it a no goal for no damn reason. It wasn't goalie interference because he was pushed. He didn't intentionally kick it in. It crossed the goal line completely and before the ref blew the whistle. It was a good goal and the refs took it away.

This is the whole point of the article, and regardless of your opinion, if this was all role reversal and happened to the Islanders, you'd be saying the same thing. If this happened to Crosby and his Penguins, it would be all over the NHL news. If this happened to anyone elses team, they would be saying the same thing. If the Panthers lost fair and square, then I'd chalk it up to experience (which I think they got anyways) but they got screwed, royally. It was worse than Brett Hart being Screwed by Shawn Michaels.

First off, Panthers fans, keep your heads up because you have some really talented young players that are just going to get better. You'll be back and this experience will help them. Losing in the playoffs is always disappointing, but this is just the first step.


I was going to write some long explanation about why this blog is embarrassing, but I realized that anyone that agrees with it will just rage reply or not read it. Dan, any credibility you had is gone. I hope you do the right thing and step down.

That's the whole point of this article though. Game 6. Islanders pulled their goalie. Trocheck had the puck, with the intent on scoring empty net. Our players were tripped twice. Not once, but twice in a span of 20 seconds, in front of the refs, with not a single call. If it were Crosby, Malkin, Ovechkin, Toews, or Kane, that would've been an immediate call. Had a call been made ( The right thing to do) , the Panthers, I believe, would have been awarded a goal. ( I know earlier in the season, Huberdeau had a break on an empty net and was tripped, and the ref awarded Huberdeau the goal) That would've given the Panthers a 2-0 lead with just over a minute left. We should've won that game.
Game 3. Let's pretend that Barkov didn't score within the first 2 minutes of the game and the refs prematurely blew the whistle. (similar to Tavares scoring the series ending goal, except they let him keep his, while taking ours away)
Ekblad scored a goal that gave the Panthers a 3-0 lead. That's a giant lead to have, especially in the post season. It was reviewed and not overturned, and then the Islanders used their coaches challenge, which resulted in an overturned goal. That goal was a good goal! Huberdeau was NOT offsides. They showed the replay at least four times, in slow motion, up close, and he was clearly onside. Say what you want about the rest of the game, but that reversal completely changed the game. Instead of a 3-0 lead, with total control over the game, and taking the crowd out of it, it was only a 2-0 lead. It brought the crowd back into the game, and it gave the Islanders a boost. It tilted the ice back in the Islanders favor, and it was once again, the wrong call. The Panthers dominated 80% of that series, and had the Panthers had a 3-0 lead in that game, chances are they are winning game 3. If the refs did their jobs correctly, and given the information I just wrote, the Panthers would've won the series 4-2. What about Game 5? Huberdeau has a break away and scores, as well as injuring himself temporarily. The refs decide to rule it a no goal for no damn reason. It wasn't goalie interference because he was pushed. He didn't intentionally kick it in. It crossed the goal line completely and before the ref blew the whistle. It was a good goal and the refs took it away.

This is the whole point of the article, and regardless of your opinion, if this was all role reversal and happened to the Islanders, you'd be saying the same thing. If this happened to Crosby and his Penguins, it would be all over the NHL news. If this happened to anyone elses team, they would be saying the same thing. If the Panthers lost fair and square, then I'd chalk it up to experience (which I think they got anyways) but they got screwed, royally. It was worse than Brett Hart being Screwed by Shawn Michaels.
- pantherfan12

So every single call was wrong. You're literally complaining about everything that didnt go the panthers way.

What about the trip on Reilly smith in game 6? When he was falling down before okposo even touched him?

And will a panther fan ever address when jokinen grabbed hamonics stick as he was dragged 10 ft through our zone?


And they reviewed ekblads goal in game 3 for like 15 mins in Toronto. It was offsides man. Close as ever but it was offside, your coach and player even admitted it......!


And the huberdeau breakaway goal was in game 4, YOU WON THAT GAME!

And tavares' game tying goal in game 6 could've went either way. Us isles fans have seen early whistles (frank) us for years, so I feel no shame when it finally didn't happen, which was the right call too, no way should that of been blown off. Bobby Lou let that puck flop right out, blame him for that one.

Blame yourselves for not converting of the calls you did get, like a few pp in OT and oh yea, A PENALTY SHOT!

This is the whole point of the article, and regardless of your opinion, if this was all role reversal and happened to the Islanders, you'd be saying the same thing. If this happened to Crosby and his Penguins, it would be all over the NHL news. If this happened to anyone elses team, they would be saying the same thing. If the Panthers lost fair and square, then I'd chalk it up to experience (which I think they got anyways) but they got screwed, royally. It was worse than Brett Hart being Screwed by Shawn Michaels.
- pantherfan12

So you're saying you know EXACTLY how every single fan in the NHL would react? Before you respond, think really hard about this.

Losers. Stop blaming the refs. You had 2 overtimes in both Game 5 and Game 6 to score first, and you didn't. Instead of crying about the refs like a sore loser, try putting a body on John Tavares in the last minute of a playoff game.

Oh, and "the league wants the Islanders to do well"- why didn't anyone tell the league the last 30 years? It's too bad for the author that he actually hit "publish" on this article, because now he's a sore loser forever.