Radek Martinek

When the horn sounded at the end of the third period at the Nassau Coliseum on Tuesday night, Islanders fans rejoiced as their home squad defeated the visiting Florida Panthers 5-2. The Isles skaters removed their jerseys and signed them for the lucky fans who won them as a prize at the end of the game.

Typically, this is a moment at the end of the Islanders season filled with "better luck next year's" and "thanks for supporting us as we rebuild our team." But instead, this time, fans were salivating for more as the Islanders continued to tighten their grasp on their first playoff berth in six years.

"Everyone's been telling me how loud this arena can be," said Matt Martin...

Once again, the Islanders made it dramatic before pulling off the victory Saturday in Sunrise.

The Isles came to the greater Miami area to play the Florida Panthers after shutting out Tampa Bay 2-0 behind strong defensive play. Could they continue that trend against Florida?

On Tuesday night, the New York Islanders took the ice with a new found confidence. This new beaming attitude carried over from their shoot out win against Ottawa on Sunday.

It would be a stretch to say that the home woes are in the past completely. However, there is optimism among the fan base after stringing together two impressive wins at the Coliseum over teams from Canada.

The most promising feature of Tuesday's game had to be the energy that the players exhibited. There was a jump in their step and the Isles kept the pressure on all night long. The Isles' excellent game could be captured in one picture of Casey Cizikas dumping his Montreal foe into the New York bench.

NY Islanders Open 3 Game Road Trip in Ottawa (Photo: SelectiMAJ/Flickr)