TORONTO — Finishing off a personal triple-feature of captains, we decided to handle a little Anders Lee Shift Diary after tracking Sidney Crosby and Sasha Barkov in earlier games for other branches of Hockey Now. The Isles top line has run a little hot and cold this series, with Lee being the coolest statistically (zero points, +2). Then again, he’s more of the “body” on the top line, with Matt Barzal and Jordan Eberle being the “talent”. That said, it didn’t stop Lee from cashing in with a 20-goal truncated regular season, following 34, 40, and 28 tallies the previous three years. The workhorse has six years left at $7-million per.
The Islanders showed up energetically to close out this series.
1st Period
0:35-1:30: Fast-moving shift. On an Isles dump-in, he raced in on the forecheck and delivered a gratuitous hit on MacKenzie Weegar after he had moved the puck. Anders Lee raced back to the neutral zone for the regroup off the Florida clear. At it again on the forecheck, he tied up Anton Stralman, knocked a puck loose, and created a mild scoring opportunity.
A lengthy break. With his line coming up, Isles went on the PK. They killed off Ryan Pukock’s tripping penalty.
6:05-7:20: Off the bench and into the D-zone to try to help relieve pressure. Isles recover puck, Lee doesn’t touch it, and rush fails. After the puck was given back and forth, Isles guilty of icing. After the draw Lee ties up Stralman in the neutral zone during a puck battle. Next rush fails to gain zone. To bench.
9:10-9:25: Off a Florida icing, top line off the bench for an O-zone draw that they lost. Cats clear. Puck out of play along the benches. Coach Trotz switches it up for the neutral zone draw.
Barzal double shifts, joining Brassard and Pageau for one. Next group scores. (Beauvillier at 11:32, 1-0 Isles)
12:15-13:00: After a Panthers icing early in the shift, the O-zone draw is battled for. Lee helps dig it out of the LW corner twice. His centering pass is tipped out of the zone and he’s guilty of offside trying to touch it back in moments later. Top line intact.
14:09-15:00: Top line back out for O-zone draw in LW circle. Lee wins it cleanly, Yandle at right point just misses wide with a slapper. Carom to point again. Shot right on. Rebound, Lee all over it, hacks at it and miraculously it stays out. LW draw again, this time he loses it but Isles regain the puck. He sets up screen, point shot doesn’t get through. Puck battle. Errant pass from Eberle to point clears zone. To bench. His presence felt.
Next line scores. (2nd of the game and 3rd of the series for Beauvillier at 15:10. 2-0 Isles)
16:50-17:30: Lee follows Barzal into the zone as #13 splits the D for a glorious chance. Rebound from Bobrovsky bounces to the far corner. Hops to the bench after Isles clear and D-zone regroup.
18:11-18:29: O-zone draw in LW circle. Lee wins it. Puck dumped along end boards. He controls and works it to point. Point shot kicked aside and Eberle guilty of a hook in puck battle that followed. Lee to bench. PK on.
(Quick PP goal for Florida, Mike Hoffman at 18:41. 2-1 Isles)
2nd Period
0:00-0:51: Starts the period on the LW with Pageau taking the opening draw with the power-play unit on. Anders Lee circles after Panthers clear. Isles regain O-zone. Lee sets up, as usual, in front as screen. Shot on from Pulock, rebound, Lee absolutely robbed by Bobrovsky point-blank. One more brief opportunity before Panthers clear. Snake bit?
3:14-4:15: Panthers win draw in the neutral zone and work it ahead briefly. Isles recover and rush in to establish the O-zone. A couple of point shots wide, no touches for Lee. Florida clear. Isles dump and chase, Florida clears again. Line off.
5:26-5:55: Hustles off bench to join offense. Takes his spot in front of the net, backs in on Stralman. Races to RW corner to help but loose puck cleared by Panthers. Isles dump and chase, “Bob” and Stralman combine to clear it. One more failed entry, out of Lee’s reach on far boards. To bench.
7:20-7:47: Neutral zone play results in Panthers gaining zone with a weak point shot. On ensuing Islanders rush the Panthers are caught for too-many-men-on-the-ice.
(New York click quickly on the power play. Brock Nelson at 8:01. 3-1 Isles)
10:35-11:27: Line rush broken up in deep. Panthers the other way to a similar result. Right back go the Isles to establish the zone. No legit scoring chances but some traffic. A centering pass to Lee broken up. Back and forth again briefly. Lee chips it ahead and heads off as Bobrovsky covers.
13:25-14:20: Hops on for a whistle moments later. Panthers icing. LW O-zone draw. He loses it, Florida attempts clearing and Eberle knocks down puck with a high stick. Neutral zone draw, Lee to the wing. Isles regroup, stretch pass LW, Lee chips it in and gives chase. Forecheck and cycle established but no chances. Panthers clear and then dump.
18:45-19:50: With Lucas Wallmark off for hooking, Isles PP lines up in the O-zone. Battle off the draw along the end boards. Lee slides to front and has quick backhand chance stopped by Bobrovsky. Two more set-ups result in end-board battles, Lee kicks the puck loose along the boards once, takes a tumble the second time, Florida clears.
3rd Period
0:40-1:25: Mostly neutral zone play on the fly. Neither team gaining the offensive zone. At one point on a backcheck, Anders Lee collided awkwardly with Panthers D-man Riley Stillman just inside the Isles blue line and went down. Shoulder to chest while looking away. A dozen seconds later he went to the bench after a clear.
4:12-5:45: On for offensive zone draw in the RW circle. On wing along the boards. Florida wins draw and hoists it out. Isles dump and chase, Lee in hard to boards. Point shot from Leddy misses everything and FLA clears. Panthers forecheck and gain puck for very rare sustained pressure. Defensive posture and chase for this Isles line for the first time all day. Few shots, nothing Grade-A. Finally off after a clear.
7:38-8:35: Isles control offensive zone draw and create sustained pressure. Lee on forecheck behind the net and then set up in front, tips one shot on, narrowly misses a rebound chance and begins battle with Keith Yandle. They hack and whack. Isles work puck around but fail to get another Grade-A chance. They had a couple.
9:45-10:34: Joins play in progress in the time for Panthers icing. RW circle draw, he tips it back to pint but Greene’s shot is blocked. Florida clears, forechecks, and gets a scoring chance.
(Barzal at 10:34, 4-1 Isles)
12:27-13:05: Not much happening here. Back at one point for an Islanders oopsie in their own end that gave the Cats a chance in front, but otherwise cruising neutral zone as teams try to hold possession.
14:40-16:53: Another “close-it-out” shift that becomes a marathon. Panthers pressing a bit as they pull Bobrovsky very early down three goals. Lee part of the defensive siege, battling behind the net. Isles guilty of icing. Isle lose draw, pinned down for more D-zone time. No grade-A chances. Isles finally clear zone and Lee gets to bench as teammates miss empty-net chance.
(Next empty-net opportunity succeeds. Pageau at 17:17, 5-1 Isles)
Game ends with NYI on the PK. 5-1 Islanders victory. Not surprisingly, Anders Lee and his mates came ready to play. It was a dominating performance. Lee provided his usual grit and work ethic, and in this case he piled up the scoring chances in front. Although he didn’t convert, his presence was felt and his teammates and line sparked the offensive output. Textbook Islanders win.
(Editors Note: Rob Simpson will be providing coverage from inside the Toronto bubble throughout the playoffs for NYI Hockey Now and the Hockey Now network of sites.)
