inside the islanders

The joy and drama of the Islanders’ playoff race — through the eyes of an appreciative Zach Parise

By
Ethan Sears
Published April 6, 2023, 8:40 a.m. ET
Zach Parise goes over the boards during an Islanders game.
NHLI via Getty Images

Zach Parise has been in this position before. Eighteen NHL seasons have come with their fair share of down-to-the-wire playoff races, including the 2012-13 season, when the Wild’s playoff berth was still in question in the final game.

What’s different about this one, though, is🐈 the degree of introspection Parise has at age 3🌸8.

“You enjoy it at any age, really. I think sometimes when you’re young, you might take it a little for granted,” Parise told The Post following Wednesday’s practice. “If you don’t make it, you always have that, ‘Well, there’s next year.’♓ It goes by fast.

“So now, I think you never know when it’s gonna be over. You just enjoy the moment. You leave everything out there because, again, you don’t know if it’s gonna be your last crack.”