OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post

jg2977 · 08-10-2025, 05:35 AM

Islanders One Win Away from Conference Finals After Game 3 Victory in Montreal

MONTREAL — In the hours before Game 3, Long Island’s dugout had the quiet confidence of a team that understood the stakes. With a 2-0 series lead, the Islanders came into the Bell Centre knowing that a win would put them in commanding position. They left with exactly that — a 7–5 victory that now puts them one win away from sweeping the Canadiens in the Conference Semifinals.

Left-hander Chris van Laar delivered the kind of performance Long Island has come to rely on this postseason. Over seven innings, he allowed just four hits and two runs, striking out three and keeping Montreal’s dangerous middle of the order in check. His only real blemish came in the third inning, when A. Wadi and P. Newman hit solo home runs.

The pivotal moment came in the sixth. Trailing 2–1 earlier in the fifth, Long Island had already surged ahead on L. Clark’s two-run blast, but in the sixth, Jack Bauer doubled into the gap in left-center, scoring two more and giving the Islanders a 4–2 lead they would not relinquish. That hit — Bauer’s only one of the night — was emblematic of Long Island’s approach: timely, situational hitting rather than sheer volume.

C. de la Cerda added a two-run homer in the seventh, padding the lead. Montreal made it interesting in the eighth when A. Grubin doubled in three runs off reliever A. Suarez, trimming the deficit to 7–5. But E. Rios closed the door in the ninth with a perfect inning, earning the save.

For Montreal, J. Salgado absorbed the loss, yielding six runs (five earned) over 6.1 innings. The Canadiens left 11 men on base — an opportunity gap that now looms large as they face elimination.

The takeaway: Long Island has shown an ability to generate runs from anywhere in the order, and with van Laar’s steadiness at the front of the rotation, they’ve kept Montreal off balance. Tomorrow’s Game 4, again at Bell Centre, could send the Islanders to the Conference Finals for the franchise's 6th time — and history is on their side. Since 1985, only one team has come back from a 3–0 deficit in a best-of-seven playoff series.

As Jack Bauer put it afterward, “We are some kind of hot right now.” And the numbers back him up.

08-10-2025, 05:35 AM	#2788
jg2977 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 26,548	Islanders One Win Away from Conference Finals After Game 3 Victory in Montreal MONTREAL — In the hours before Game 3, Long Island’s dugout had the quiet confidence of a team that understood the stakes. With a 2-0 series lead, the Islanders came into the Bell Centre knowing that a win would put them in commanding position. They left with exactly that — a 7–5 victory that now puts them one win away from sweeping the Canadiens in the Conference Semifinals. Left-hander Chris van Laar delivered the kind of performance Long Island has come to rely on this postseason. Over seven innings, he allowed just four hits and two runs, striking out three and keeping Montreal’s dangerous middle of the order in check. His only real blemish came in the third inning, when A. Wadi and P. Newman hit solo home runs. The pivotal moment came in the sixth. Trailing 2–1 earlier in the fifth, Long Island had already surged ahead on L. Clark’s two-run blast, but in the sixth, Jack Bauer doubled into the gap in left-center, scoring two more and giving the Islanders a 4–2 lead they would not relinquish. That hit — Bauer’s only one of the night — was emblematic of Long Island’s approach: timely, situational hitting rather than sheer volume. C. de la Cerda added a two-run homer in the seventh, padding the lead. Montreal made it interesting in the eighth when A. Grubin doubled in three runs off reliever A. Suarez, trimming the deficit to 7–5. But E. Rios closed the door in the ninth with a perfect inning, earning the save. For Montreal, J. Salgado absorbed the loss, yielding six runs (five earned) over 6.1 innings. The Canadiens left 11 men on base — an opportunity gap that now looms large as they face elimination. The takeaway: Long Island has shown an ability to generate runs from anywhere in the order, and with van Laar’s steadiness at the front of the rotation, they’ve kept Montreal off balance. Tomorrow’s Game 4, again at Bell Centre, could send the Islanders to the Conference Finals for the franchise's 6th time — and history is on their side. Since 1985, only one team has come back from a 3–0 deficit in a best-of-seven playoff series. As Jack Bauer put it afterward, “We are some kind of hot right now.” And the numbers back him up. Attached Images Last edited by jg2977; 08-10-2025 at 06:51 AM.