Uniondale, NY -- It may seem like a strange thing to say, but the 1st line of the Islanders finally picked up the slack when the big producers could not. On a night where Kopitar and Datsyuk (two of the OTHL's leading scorers) could not solve Roberto Luongo, it was the 1st line that scored all three goals. Helped by the return of Forsberg (1g, 1a), Mike Sillinger had a 3 point night (1g, 2a), and Mike Cammalleri scored the game winner with less than 2 minutes left in the game, to give the Islanders a 3-2 win in front of a sold out crowd. The Islanders have now taken a 2-1 series lead, but need to win on Saturday to maintain home ice advantage. "It was a great win for us," said captain Trevor Linden, who was dropped back to the 3rd line with the return of Forsberg. "The fans have supported us all year, through thick and thin. We just want to give them something to cheer about, and make them proud. They have endured a lot of losing years in this franchise's history, and tonight we showed them the product of their patience. However, despite this great win, we know we need to come out on Saturday with the exact same intensity. If we lose on Saturday, Florida is right back in the driver's seat. We will be ready to go."
It seems the longer the playoffs run, the more the Islanders start clicking. They now seem to have two lines who are more than capable of scoring multiple goals in a game, as well as two of the best checking lines in the league. Saturday's game has been sold out for weeks, as well as Wednesday's (if necessary).