Multiple rookies have superseded expectations for the Islanders in the playoffs, with the team getting vital contributions from several youngsters — Alan Quine, Shane Prince and Ryan Pulock — who had never been in an NHL game as recently as two months ago.
This time last year, Ryan Strome played that role to perfection, recording two goals and two assists in his first playoff series, but Sunday night the 22-year-old was a healthy scratch for the second straight game, a designation he still was having trouble accepting.
“It sucks,” Strome said before Game 6 against the Panthers at Barclays Center.