The New York Islanders return to the postseason for the first time since the 2006-07 season. Their first round opponents will be the heavily favored Pittsburgh Penguins, a team that has been built up to win the Stanley Cup.
The Penguins feature a superstar group that includes Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jarome Iginla, James Neal, Pascal Dupuis, and Chris Kunitz. Leading the team on the third line is the trio of Brandon Suter, Matt Cooke, and Brendan Morrow. The defense corps is led by Kris Letang and Brooks Orpik (who is injured) while the net minding duo of Marc-Andre Fleury and Thomas Vokoun is expected to bring the team to the promised land. Fleury will be keen to prove himself after the debacle against the Philadelphia Flyers a year ago when the team imploded for 30 goals against in six games.
The Islanders are a relatively young team with almost no playoff experience. Aside from Evgeni Nabokov's 80 playoff matches, no other Islander can really brag about the playoffs. Superstar John Tavares and top defenseman Travis Hamonic will be seeing the postseason for the first time ever; this attribute really applies to the team's core unit. Tavares will have a bright light shining on him and this could be his big moment for his team.
The Islanders have faced the Penguins three times in playoff history and have never lost; their 1993 series win was the team's last playoff series victory and also ended the Penguins drive for three straight cups. The Islanders won the first game of the series before losing the final four.
Penguins Win If... They prey on the Islanders' inexperience and physically outplay them. Marc Andre Fleury needs to be at his best to win some games against a high-powered Islanders squad.
Islanders Win If... Evgeni Nabokov steals a few wins. Tavares and the top line need to produce and the secondary scoring from the Kyle Okposo, Josh Bailey, Frans Nielsen line continues to click. The special teams also need to improve after faltering late in the season.
Prediction: The Penguins are the favorites and will teach the Islanders a few lessons; 4-1 Penguins.
The schedule is as follows:
Wednesday, May 1 7:30 p.m. NY Islanders at Pittsburgh NBC Sports Network, TSN
Friday, May 3 7 p.m. NY Islanders at Pittsburgh NBC Sports Network, TSN
Sunday, May 5 Noon Pittsburgh at NY Islanders NBC, TSN
Tuesday, May 7, 7 p.m. Pittsburgh at NY Islanders NBC Sports Network, TSN
*Thursday, May 9 7 p.m. NY Islanders at Pittsburgh TSN
*Saturday, May 11 TBD Pittsburgh at NY Islanders TSN
*Sunday, May 12 TBD NY Islanders at Pittsburgh TSN