Kris Letang’s recollection on the most recent time the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins met in the playoffs is less than extensive.
“I remember that we won,” the Penguins defenseman said with a chuckle.
Indeed, the Penguins prevailed in six games in the 2013 first-round series that ended by way of — no kidding — a Brooks Orpik overtime goal.
“I’m getting old; I’m losing memory, I guess.”
If Letang doesn’t have much recall of that series six years ago, there aren’t too many others who can help, either. Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby are the lone other Penguins holdovers among players and coaches from May 2013; the only Islanders on-ice personnel remaining are grinding forwards Josh Bailey, Casey Cizikas and Matt Martin (and Martin even gets an asterisk because he left the Islanders for two seasons before returning last summer).
Each team has been through three coaches and two general managers, the NHL has changed its divisional alignment and playoff format, and the Penguins have won two Stanley Cups since.
Weirder yet, over the past six years the Islanders have changed home rinks, broke ground on yet another home rink — and on a part-time basis returned back to their former home rink.
All that means is that the games they host in this series will be played in the same venue (Nassau Coliseum) that the Islanders’ home games were in 2013.
“It’s one of the loudest buildings to play in (during) the playoffs,” Letang said. “And especially now that it’s been back and forth (with arena homes), I’m sure (Long Island residents) want to have their team back home to stay, so they are gonna bring a lot of energy to their team.”
