The Islanders know their first-round opponent. The Hurricanes’ 6-4 victory over the Panthers on Thursday night kept Florida out of the top wild-card spot, so the Islanders will start the playoffs o…
in their final game of the regular season on Wednesday, the prevailing mood in the dressing room was that it didn’t matter who they played, the Bruins or the Hurricanes.The coaching staff will have their work cut out for it against the battle-tested Hurricanes, who boast the NHL’s second-ranked defense in per-game goal prevention and have a deep, fast lineup capable of forechecking teams into oblivion.
As far as statistical disparities go, the biggest one heading into the best-of-seven series is likely the Islanders’ power play, which is ranked 31st in the league and will need to solve a Carolina penalty kill that finished the season behind only Boston in success rate. At even strength, though, there are a few factors that could give the Islanders some confidence. Mainly,There also is the reality of the situation in which the Islanders have found themselves for nearly the entire second half of the season, in which just about every game was a must-win in a playoff dogfight.
“I think it gives you a little bit of feel for where you’re heading and what it’s gonna be like,” Lambert said. “Certainly, it’s a new season. But I think it can pay dividends. We fought through a lot of adversity at different times this year.” Mathew Barzal, seen playing against the Penguins on Feb. 17, suffered a suspected knee injury on Feb. 18 against the Bruins.The biggest question for the Islanders regards the status of center Mathew Barzal, who has a suspected knee injury, and defenseman Alexander Romanov , both of whom have been skating on their own while rehabbing.on the top line, and Romanov can come back into the top-four, it could completely change the dynamic of the series.
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