Watch Out for Tavares and the Islanders Next Season

John Tavares and the Islanders should be proud of their efforts throughout the season and playoffs. (Shannon Stapleton)

The New York Islanders may have left the ice with their heads downs following their heartbreaking 4-3 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 6, but the home crowd Nassau Coliseum was on its feet applauding their efforts.

This was after all the Islanders' first playoff appearance since 2007. They gave the top seed Penguins all they could handle and then some in every game. With a team with so many young players like this Islanders franchise has, they will be able to use this experience to come back even better and hungrier next season to make another run at Lord Stanley's Cup.

For so many years, the Islanders have been ridiculed as the doormat of the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, the Islanders were adding and developing players through the draft and free agency. The used the very same model the Penguins used to build back up their elite franchise. The Islanders came into this season with the talent, but that had to prove it on the ice.

"We've taken a lot of heat in the past three years since I've been here, a lot of criticism from the media, people looked at us as a laughingstock," said Islanders forward Matt Martin. "Throughout this series, we showed we can play with anyone. We’re excited about the future. We think we have something special here." 

The Penguins witnessed firsthand the resiliency shown by this pesky and determined Islanders team. The vast majority of experts pegged this series as a four or five game piece of cake for the top seed. It turned out to be anything but that.

"It was every bit of a battle in those six games," Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said after his team punched its ticket to a second-round matchup against the seventh-seeded Ottawa Senators. 

As I have already mentioned, this is a very good, young Islanders team. They have already made improvements. They are only going to continue to get better. One of the most obvious improvements that has been made this season has been the Islanders' increase in scoring depth/ Last season, they relied almost completely on superstar center John Tavares and linemate Matt Moulson. The lack of scoring depth made the task easy for opposing defenses to stop.

During this season and in the playoffs, the emergence of a strong second line has strengthened the Islanders' offense immensely. This line comprises of center Frans Nielsen and wingers Josh Bailey and Kyle Okposo. During the six-series playoff series with the Penguins, this trio tallied three goals and six assists. This is a huge reason why the Islanders' offense was a threat throughout the series.

We cannot overlook the efforts of the depth forwards on the third and fourth lines as well. Michael Grabner and Casey Cizikas got involved in the scoring in the playoffs and will continue to develop next season. Matt Martin and Colin MacDonald also gave the team good energy, penalty killing and defending on the fourth line.

Of course, we cannot move on from the Islander offense without taking a look at the play of Tavares. He has truly emerged as one of the top players and leaders in the league. Tavares led the team with 47 points in 48 games, which included 28 goals scored (third highest in the NHL). His leadership, consistent offensive efforts and defensive improvement were among the main reasons why the Islanders were able to return to the playoffs. These efforts have not gone unnoticed as Tavares was one of three players to earn a Hart Trophy nomination.

Defensively, the Islanders have utilized a combination of experienced veterans and talented young players. This will only help the team to continue to improve for years to come. It all begins with the dynamic duo of captain Mark Streit and veteran defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky. They played very well against the Penguins, The Islanders will need to re-sign Streit if they hope to keep him. If they are able to do so, this pairing will continue to provide the team with scoring, poise and leadership on the blue line.

The emergence of 22-year-old defensemen Travis Hamonic has been has been a pleasant surprise for the Islanders. His play against the Penguins was absolutely superb. Harmonic provided strong defense and a level of poise well beyond his years. He was able to keep Hart Trophy finalist Sidney Crosby under wraps for much of the series.

There were 16 Islanders who this series with the Penguins with four or fewer games of playoff experience, including Tavares and Moulson. These players learned much about the intensity, pressure and atmosphere that the playoffs create. With very promising young players like Ryan Strome and Griffin Reinhart waiting in the wings, these experienced players will be able to help them to be ready to compete with the best the NHL has to offer.

The Islanders have proven they belong on the same ice as the most talented team in the Eastern Conference. They have even frankly outplayed the Penguins at many points in the series. Even though they didn't come away the victor in the end, the Islanders have taken significant strides toward becoming a Stanley Cup contender for years to come.

Miller and Lester Were Almost a Perfect Pair

Shelby Miller gave up a leadoff hit, but then set down the next 27 Rockies hitters in order. (Dilip Vishwanat)

Tonight, St. Louis’ Shelby Miller and Boston’s Jon Lester did something no pair of pitchers have done on the same night in the history of baseball. They each threw a one-hit, no-walk, complete-game shutout. The only hit Miller allowed was a leadoff single by the Rockies’ Eric Young, Jr. Lester bid for perfection lasted until the sixth inning when the Blue Jays’ Maicer Izturis hit a double.

Let's compare the two superb performances. Miller's outing is really unique in that after giving up that leadoff single, he retired the next 27 hitters. This is really as close to a no-hitter as you possibly can be. After the leadoff single, he threw a no-hitter. That's impressive to say the least. However, that is not all that is impressive about Miller's performance. He also stuck out 13 batters and maintained his velocity of up to 93 mph throughout his 113 pitches. That is how dominant Miller was. Finally, his opponent, the Rockies, are the NL’s highest-scoring team.

Lester’s one-hitter is his first shutout since 2008. This is an encouraging sign for Red Sox fans that the lefty might be regaining that top form. On paper, Lester was not as dominant as Miller. He only five struck out five batters. Instead, Lester relied on his infield for a total of 12 ground-ball outs. Both pitchers benefitted from getting ahead in the count. In fact, both pitchers threw first-pitch strikes to 21 of the 28 batters they faced.

You might be wondering how rare of an occurrence is it for two pitchers to throw one-hitters on the same night. It has only happened three other times since the turn of the century.

May 25, 2001: The Cubs’ Kerry Wood and the Red Sox’ Hideo Nomo each threw a complete-game, one-hit shutout on the same night. Both pitchers struck out 14 batters. Wood walked two hitters, while Nomo did not issue any walks.

April 26, 2002: The Dodgers’ Odalis Perez and the Mets’ Shawn Estes both threw complete-game, one-hit shutouts on the same night as well. Perez did not walk any batters, while Estes allowed just one walk.

June 16, 2012: The Orioles’ Jason Hammel and the Angels' Ervin Santana each threw a complete-game, one-hit shutout on the same night. Hammel issued two walks, while Santana only walked one batter.

As you can now see, Miller and Lester share a unique bond that only a handful of major league pitchers have ever shared. There is one statistic that distinguishes them above the rest. Neither one of them walked a single batter. Miller and Lester can say that they are the only pair of pitchers to throw one-hit, no-walk, complete-game shutouts on the same night.

Vokoun Provided Stability Penguins Needed to Rout Islanders

Tomas Vokoun's 31-save shutout was an integral part of the Penguins 4-0 win over the Islanders in Game 5. (Jason Cohn)

The Pittsburgh Penguins were heavily favored going into their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series matchup with the New York Islanders. Following a 5-0 thrashing in Game 1, everyone thought a Penguins sweep was inevitable. The Islanders though didn't get the memo. A 6-4 win on Tuesday sent the series back to Pittsburgh tied 2-2.

What had gone wrong for the Penguins? A major issue was the lack of consistency and confidence from goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. Fleury shut out the Islanders in Game 1 on May 1, but he allowed 14 goals in the three games since. This left head coach Dan Bylsma no choice but to give veteran Tomas Vokoun the start in Game 5.

Fleury struggles in net date back to last year's postseason. He has allowed 40 goals in his past 10 postseason games. The decision to make the change was difficult though seeing that Fleury had started every Penguins playoff game since 2007. When Vokoun took his place between the pipes for the opening faceoff Thursday night, it was the first time in 12 years someone other than Fleury started a playoff game for the Penguins.

The Penguins had brought Vokoun in for a situation such as this. During this past offseason, he was signed to a two-year contract to provide insurance in case Fleury struggled. When Fleury did struggle, Bylsma knew that he must turn to Vokoun. This would be the veteran's first appearance in a Stanley Cup playoff game since 2007.

Even though Vokoun is in his 14th NHL season, has played 700 career regular-season games and has 300 career victories, he admitted that felt the nerves throughout the day.

"I don't care who you are, you get a little nervous. I think you wouldn't be human if you weren't," Vokoun said. "I just tried to stay focused, but you don't want to get too focused because you don't want to wear yourself down thinking about the game four hours before the game starts. But it's still a game and you have to enjoy it."

The Penguins did not need Vokoun to be extraordinary. When you have a dynamic offense like the Penguins do, you just need a solid performance from your netminder. You just need him to make the saves he is supposed to make.

In Game 5, Vokoun did exactly that, especially when the Penguins need it the most. The Islanders controlled the first period. They had a number of great opportunities and outshot the Penguins 14-7, but Vokoun stood strong and would not give in.

The Penguins offense took control of the game from there. With three second period goals, they took control of the game. A third period power play goal by Kris Letang iced the game away. Vokoun made 31 saves enroute to the shutout.

"He was solid," Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said of Vokoun. "Hopefully we didn't make things too tough on him. We didn't do a great job of helping Marc out and we wanted to make sure we did a better job in front of our goalie. He made some good saves, but I think we did a better job in front of him and at keeping the puck down in their end a little more."

The Penguins will hit the road and look to wrap the series up on Saturday night. Following his solid performance in Game 5, it is expected that Vokoun will get another start. Once again, the Penguins don't need him to be extraordinary. If Vokoun can be solid like he was in Game 5, this is a team that is fully capable of making a run at Lord Stanley's Cup.

Warriors' Game 2 Win Shows They Can Win West

Klay Thompson put on a shooting clinic as he scored 34 points in the Warriors' Game 2 win over the Spurs. (Ronald Martinez)

In Game 2 of their second-round playoff series, the Golden State Warriors once again opened up a big lead. The San Antonio Spurs again rallied for second-half comeback. It would not be enough this time. Instead, the Warriors held on for a 100-91 victory on Wednesday night.

Klay Thompson's 34-point performance will stand out in the box score, but his backcourt counterpart was the one who sealed the deal tonight. Of course, Stephen Curry had 44 points in Game 1, but he was a non-factor as the Spurs went on their run and through the two overtime periods. Curry finished with only 22 points in Game 2, but he had the Warriors' final five points to hold off the Spurs.

Golden State's series-evening victory snapped the Warriors' 30-game losing streak in San Antonio, which dated back to February 14, 1997. Additionally, they won a road playoff game after the first round for the first time since 1991. The win isn't only big as the series heads to Oracle Arena. It is significant because I believe it shows that the Warriors are capable of winning a wide-open Western Conference and earning a spot in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1976.

Here are five reasons why I believe the Warriors are capable of winning the Western Conference:

1. Mark Jackson is an innovative coach and an excellent motivator. Jackson has been preaching the message that his team has already overachieved expectations. He believes the pressure belongs on his opponents. Jackson is not afraid of defending his players, even if it means being fined by the league. The former point guard and commentator is well known as a great motivator. He will use the Game 1 collapse to push his young team.

2. Stephen Curry has emerged as a bona fide superstar. Curry loves the postseason spotlight. We all remember his March Madness heroics as the star of the Davidson Wildcats. He has shown that the NBA playoffs are his place to shine as well. While scoring is a huge part of his game, Curry has been contributing across the board. Entering tonight's Game 2, he was averaging 27.1 points, 9.6 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game. Curry's closing out Game 2 proved he is capable of leading his team to victory in the clutch as well.

3. Rather than fold when All-Star David Lee was lost for the remainder of the playoffs, the Warriors have had surprising contributions from across the board. As good as Curry has been in the playoffs, the Warriors have proved they are more than a one-man show. I have already made mention of how good Klay Thompson can be shooting the ball. He finished eight-for-nine tonight from beyond the arc and is always a danger to get it going from there. Rookie Harrison Barnes is averaging 15.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game as a starter. Former top pick Andrew Bogut has seemingly discovered the Fountain of Youth. The Aussie is averaging 8.4 points, 11.0 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game. Finally, Jarrett Jack has brought energy off the bench. In the conference semifinals against the Nuggets, he average 18.8 points, 7.0 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game. As you can see, the Warriors are getting contributions from throughout their lineup.

4. The Warriors' high-tempo offense is surprisingly well-balanced and efficient. Everyone knows that the Warriors love to push the tempo and get the ball up the court in a hurry. They also think all they do is shoot the ball from three. That part simply is not true. The Warriors are very good from beyond the arc. During the regular season, they connected on a league-leading 40.3% of their three-pointers. Despite shooting at such a high percentage from deep, they’re surprisingly conservative and selective with it. In fact, only 23.9% of their shots were threes, which put them roughly middle of the pack across the league.

5. The Warriors may be known for their offense, but they have been getting it done of the defensive end as well. The exploits of the Warriors' offense are well-documented. Their discipline on the other side of the ball goes widely unnoticed. During tonight's Game 2 win, the Warriors held the Spurs to 39.3 percent shooting from the field and 23.8 percent from beyond the arc. This defensive discipline that the Warriors have been showing actually plays a significant role in their offense. Getting consistent defensive stops and rebounding allows the Warriors' offense to push the tempo.

I hope that you realize that this young Warriors team should not be overlooked. They are far more than a high-scoring offense led by Stephen Curry. Instead, they are a team that is fully capable of making a run at the NBA title. If you don't believe me, just ask the San Antonio Spurs think after two tough games at home.