FLYERS 4
ISLANDERS 1
The Flyers were Atlantic Division champs for about a half hour.
The Rangers had just lost to Ottawa at the Garden,the Devils trailed Montreal by two goals in the third period and the Flyers had just beaten the Islanders,4-1,at the Coliseum.As the Flyers pulled off their gear and watched the television hanging on the visitors ‘ locker room wall,,the Devils somehow surged and snatched the Atlantic
title,eliciting grumbles and hushed curses.
“It was really weird,” said Flyers forward Mike Knuble. “We ‘re all taken aback.”
So,instead of winning the division and finishing third in the Eastern Conference – as they believed was their
destiny for about 30 minutes – the Flyers (35-16-9)finished fifth and will face No.4 Buffalo in the first round.
They overcame a 1-0 lead against the Islanders last night,and the Flyers scored four unanswered goals – two of
them shorthanded,empty-net scores in the final minute – to do their part in a quest for a division crown.
“New Jersey won the division,” Simone Gagne said. “Now we have to focus on Buffalo.”
As for the Islanders (36-40-6),it was appropriate that they lost their final game of a thoroughly disappointing season.The 2005-06 campaign began with much anticipation of advancing beyond the first round of the playoffs after GM Mike Milbury completely restructured the squad around captain Alexei Yashin in the days following the lockout.
The new players never really found their stride;their play was inconsistent for long stretches,and coach Steve Stir-
ling was fired Jan.12,the same day owner Charles Wang announced Milbury would step down after 10 years.Replacement Brad Shaw performed admirably and should earn a long,hard look to be retained next season after going 18-18-4 in his 40-game audition.
For the last two months,the Isles,with 11 rookies in uniform last night,slowly slipped out of the race,and they ‘ll be
making tee times for the first time after reaching the postseason three consecutive years.Wang will begin a busy summer in which he ‘ll hire a replacement for Milbury,determine the fate of his few remaining veterans and,most importantly,wrestle with the possibility of buying Yashin out.