The Rise of the Isles II Mat Barzal

Chapter 21

Bailey was ready for her next game against the Boston Bruins. She noticed that a few of them had their eye on her during the game. She didn't let it bother her. She wanted to come in strong, knowing that Malkin let her stay on the team.

The puck dropped. Bailey was as excited as ever to play on the ice again. She loved this team more than anything and to be a part of it was a game-changer. Throughout the period, she made good plays which led to an assist. A goal by Mathew Barzal! Mat and Bailey did their new fist bump/ handshake that they came up with the other night.

"Nice goal, Barzy," Bailey smiled.

"Nice assist, Bails," Mat patted her head.

The second period rolled around. The Islanders were back on their game. It was still 1-0 with only Mat's goal keeping them ahead. When Bailey was on the ice, the only thing she focused on was the puck. She got a hold of it and took a shot. It went past three Bruins players and made it into the glove of Tukka Rask, the Bruins goaltender.

The Islanders dominated the first period but didn't score. They had to lock it in this period with another goal. Bailey was back on the ice. Mat took the faceoff and won it. Five minutes into the third period, the Bruins scored. The Islanders had to get one back. The time on the clock passed by quicker than they thought, with only two minutes left in regulation. The Islanders had it in the Bruins zone. They passed to keep possession. Varlamov skated out of the net. An extra skater was on the ice. Anthony Beauvillier passed it to Mat. Mat to Bailey. Bailey knew she had a shot. She took it. She made it right before the buzzer! The team crowded around her. Both the score and the series were 2-1, Islanders.

"Great job tonight, Bails," Mat said.

"Thanks, Barzy," Bailey blushed. "I'm happy to be back,"

After that game, the Islanders won two more games in a row to knock out the Bruins and go to the next round of the playoffs. Bailey was so excited to make it this far, but there was still a ways to go.

Game 1: The next game was against the Washington Capitals who beat the Pittsburgh Penguins to make it to their spot. Bailey hasn't played the Capitals yet, she's only seen them on TV. By the way that they played, she could tell that they were a threat. The first game ended up in an overtime loss, with Alex Ovechkin scoring the winning goal. Bailey didn't score in that game and didn't make an assist either. She still got tons of fans coming up to her everywhere she went, asking for autographs.

Game 2: Islanders vs Capitals. The game was action-packed. Both Mat and Bailey scored in the first period, as well as TJ Oshie and Alex Ovechkin for the Capitals. The score was 2-2 by the end of the first. The second period came quickly. The Capitals scored a quick goal in the first minute. The Islanders didn't get another goal until the last five minutes, which was scored by none other than their defender, Adam Pelech. The score was 3-3 by the end of the second. The Islanders couldn't give this game up. They wanted to tie the series. They had a power play at the start of the third period. With a minute left in the power play, Bailey scored another goal! Mat and Bailey did their fist bump/ handshake. The score was now 4-3, Islanders. After the switch in the line, Oliver Wahlstrom tapped in another goal. The end result of that game remained 5-3, Islanders.

Game 3: Islanders vs Capitals. The Islanders were winning 2-0 in the first period, with goals by Cal Clutterbuck and Matt Martin. In the second period, Bailey had her eye on the puck. She skated as fast as she could to get to the puck, but she got a hard hit on her by Alex Ovechkin. She got slammed first on the boards then got knocked to the floor. It took her a few seconds to get up, but by the way that she looked, Mat knew he had to do something. He took a swing at Alex Ovechkin.