ISLANDER NOTES
TORONTO – Before last night, Adrian Aucoin’s only Game 7 experience was with Vancouver – in his first-ever NHL game.
“At the time I was so young, it was just a big blur,” Aucoin said. “Like I said before, a lot of defensemen, when they’re young, don’t know what’s going on the ice. You can play hard, but you’re not always doing the right stuff, and I learned a lot since then.”
Aucoin has emerged as the Islanders’ most dependable defeseman this season, and was forced to pick up the slack when defensive partner Kenny Jonsson went down with a concussion in Game 5. In Jonsson’s absence, Aucoin saw 34:00 of ice time.
Still, Jonsson participated in the morning skate and was a game-time decision for last night’s first-round finale. Jonsson did look a little tight around the neck, the result of a secondary injury he sustained when Gary Roberts ran his face into the Air Canada Centre glass.
“Kenny, at 20 percent, is better than most ‘D’ men in the league,” Aucoin said. “Even if he plays 10 minutes or less, he’s still going to be a huge help to the team because he’s one of the best in the league.”
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AHL call-up Ray Schultz was around last year when the Coliseum was bare and quiet. So you can imagine his reaction when he returned to the lineup as a late addition to shore up the defense for Game 6 Sunday night.
“Our last game there was unreal,” Schultz said. “I remember playing, you know, in the bad years, and barely any fans are there and they’re chanting, you know, unfavorable things. It was so nice to see the fans having such a good time, so loud, it’s such an advantage for the home team there.”
Schultz, who isn’t afraid to drop the gloves and was brought up to inject toughness in the lineup, is still pinching himself after landing in the boiling Leafs-Isles series with the season on the line.
“This year with Bridgeport was the first playoff game I’ve ever won as a professional,” Schultz said. “So I’m kinda new to all this, never a Game 7, let alone in the NHL. It’s pretty exciting to get out there and see what it’s like.”