While the New York Islanders are currently holding down a Wild Card spot, it's safe to say that their season hasn't gone as well as they'd have hoped thus far. The Isles have gone 4-5-1 over their last 10 games after dropping another game to the Nashville Predators on Saturday, but it wasn't the loss in Nashville that was the biggest concern. It was the behaviour of the players before the game ended that seems to be drawing the most attention.
The Isles and Predators, locked in a 1-1 draw last night, appeared to be headed to overtime. However, a late goal from Nashville Alexandre Carrier at 19:52 of the 3rd period put the Preds up by 1 with just 8 seconds to go. A goal like that can be very deflating, but it wasn't the late goal that is causing an uproar. It was nearly the entire Islanders bench leaving for the locker room with 8 seconds left to play.
Credit to former Vancouver Canucks captain Bo Horvat for being the only Islanders player to stick around until the bitter end. He knows first hand that you win as a team and you lose as a team. More importantly, he knows what it means to lead by example.
I can't think of too many instances where I've seen this occur before, if ever. The Islanders players who left the bench certainly deserve an earful from not only the players on the ice and Horvat, but also the coaching staff and management. The lack of respect must have been felt by the players on the ice. It's not something that should ever happen with time remaining on the clock.
