Islanders showered with beer cans after Game 6 OT win against Lightning
Wednesday night might have been the New York Islanders' last hurrah at the Nassau Coliseum. If it was, both the team and their fans sent it out in their own inimitable style.
In a win-or-go-home Game 6 for the Islanders, they came back from a 2-0 deficit in the second period to tie it up, and then scored the winning goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning just 1:08 into overtime for a 3-2 victory. The man responsible for putting the game-winner in the back of the net was Anthony Beauvillier, who snapped a 10-game scoreless streak and forced a winner-take-all Game 7.
In the mayhem after the overtime goal, fans did something inexplicable. Faced with what might be their final moments watching their beloved Islanders in the past-its-prime Coliseum, they began throwing beer cans — expensive stadium beer cans — onto the ice in a twisted declaration of love.
The ice is littered with beer cans after the Islanders win Game 6 in OT 3-2. #TBLightning will try again Friday night to advance in Game 7 at Amalie. pic.twitter.com/Rchp4cgt6T
— Dan Lucas (@WFLADan) June 24, 2021
It was also weird and not at all safe. Islanders forward Mathew Barzal acknowledged that, but also seemed to understand why the fans did it.
“Never seen anything like that,” Barzal said via the New York Post. “A little dangerous, but… that’s the Islanders faithful. They’re passionate, they get excited.”
Thankfully, no one was harmed.
The Islanders and Lightning now head back to Tampa for a winner-take-all Game 7. If the Islanders can't pull it out, the joy and triumph of Game 6 will be the last memories the team and their fans will make at the Coliseum before they move into the brand-new UBS Arena next season. If they can prevail over the Lightning on Friday night, fans will be back for one more series. Hopefully they hold on to their beer cans.
More from Yahoo Sports:
