NHL Playoffs: When is Islanders vs. Panthers Game 2?

The New York Islanders and Florida Panthers will be back in action Friday night at 7:30 p.m. Eastern for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference first round playoff series.

Following an entertaining nine-goal game to open the first round playoff series between the New York Islanders and Florida Panthers on Thursday, fans around the NHL will surely be excited for Game 2.

The two teams won’t get much time to rest after Thursday’s thriller, as they are back in action for Game 2 on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. Eastern at the BB&T Center. NHL Network will carry the game on TV, with live streaming also available on the NHL.tv website.

New York came back from three separate one-goal deficits to beat the Panthers 5-4 on the road in Game 1. Both teams will look to make some defensive adjustments during the quick turnaround.

Despite failing to get on the scoreboard, Florida’s top line of Jaromir Jagr, Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau controlled play for long stretches of Game 1. Unfortunately for the Panthers, New York backup goalie Thomas Greiss made 42 saves in relief of Jaroslav Halack, including a game-saver on Jagr in the dying seconds.

The Islanders didn’t have nearly as many scoring opportunities, but made the most of what they were able to generate and got past Roberto Luongo five times. John Taveras turned in a virtuoso performance with a goal and two assists, as the Panthers could do nothing to slow him down.

Luongo will need to shake off his recent playoff woes and be much better in Game 2, while Greiss will need to get some help against the Jagr line.

For more coverage of the NHL Playoffs, make sure to check out our NHL hub page.