DALLAS — Patrick Roy is just as stunned by the OMG Mets as the rest of New York.
Though the Islanders head coach admits baseball isn’t his forte, he’s well aware of the Mets’ turnaround from being 11 games under .500 to making the NLCS and has followed as the team made the playoffs on the last day of the season before beating the Brewers and Phillies in a pair of dramatic series.
“My point is, what a turnaround they did,” Roy told reporters Friday before the Islanders flew to Dallas for their first road trip of the season. “I think they’re a good example for a lot of sports teams: It is possible to turn things around. Going into the playoffs and winning. After being on the road in Milwaukee, won those games, and then going into Philly [who] was supposedly supposed to win that series. Great for them. I think everybody here in New York is proud of them.”
The Mets will open the NLCS on the road Sunday against the Dodgers, who beat the Padres 2-0 in Game 5 on Friday night to advance.
Roy is not the only Islander to get caught up in the baseball postseason.
Casey Cizikas was in attendance for Game 3 of the Mets-Phillies series at Citi Field on Tuesday, uploading a photo to his Instagram story and showing off video of the crowd to teammates in the dressing room on Wednesday.
Roy also gave a shoutout to the Yankees, who concluded the ALDS with a win over the Royals on Thursday night, making it the first time since 2000 that both New York teams have been amongst baseball’s final four.
“I’m like everybody,” Roy said. “Everybody dreams to see the Mets against the Yankees, isn’t it?”
The three-game trip to Dallas, Colorado and St. Louis, during which the Islanders will face last year’s Central Division champs (the Avalanche) and a Western Conference Finalist (the Stars) presents an immediate test after a disappointing loss in the season opener Thursday night.
“This is the schedule, let’s not find excuses for whatever it is,” Roy said. “Let’s go out there and play our games and play the right way. That’s exactly what Utah did [Thursday] night.”
Semyon Varlamov is expected to start in goal against the Stars on Saturday, with Roy saying he had yet to talk to Lou Lamoriello or trainer Damien Hess about Ilya Sorokin’s status.
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