“You wake up this morning and it’s a new day,” Islanders center Casey Cisikas said Tuesday.
“If we were sitting here and we were just sitting in our backyard all the guys just having a cold one, we would be saying, ‘That wasn’t us last night.
They are scheduled to begin playing at UBS Arena, which is under construction, at the start of next season, but have thrived at the Coliseum this season.
They’re behind us no matter what and we feed off of that energy.
Trotz said he reminded the Islanders before the semifinals that the path isn’t always easy.
“Tomorrow night’s game means how much you want to commit to have one shot at going to the Stanley Cup Final,” Trotz said.
The Islanders, who lost to the Lightning in the conference final last season in six games, played them essentially even through the first four games of this series, with each team winning twice and Tampa Bay holding an 9-8 edge in goals.
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