Stanley Cup Playoffs 2019: Islanders vs. Penguins preview and prediction
The New York Islanders will meet the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, in a classic match-up of opposing play styles.
Nassau Coliseum will be on fire on Wednesday, Apr.10, when the New York Islanders host the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, looking to continue their storybook season against the leagues biggest boogeyman, the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Islanders and Penguins have met four times in the playoffs over their history. The Islanders won the first three series in 1975, 1982 and 1993, and the Penguins won the most recent playoff series in 2013.
These two teams are not nearly the same since their meeting back in 2013. Only Casey Cizikas, Josh Bailey, Thomas Hickey, Matt Martin, and Brock Nelson remain for the Islanders from that matchup while only the core Penguins of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang remain for Pittsburgh.
You’d be hard pressed to find somebody who predicted this matchup to happen in the preseason, especially with the Islanders being the higher seed. Can they continue their improbable run with their league best defense and goaltending? Or will the Penguins star power and offense overwhelm them for their fourth consecutive season with a playoff series win?
New York Islanders
Expectations were on the floor for the New York Islanders heading into this season after losing their franchise center John Tavares in free agency to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Even with a new head coach to the caliber of Barry Trotz, a successful season for the Islanders would’ve just been competing for a playoff spot and not being a lottery team. There just didn’t seem to be enough talent on the team to hope for a successful season.
The Islanders went on to shatter those expectations all season long, embracing a new defensive system under Trotz, and went toe to toe for the Metropolitan division title all season long. The Islanders finished the season in second in the Metropolitan division with 103 points, clinching the playoffs for the fourth time since 2008 and home ice advantage for the first time since 1987.
The Islanders turn around is one for the record books. The Islanders went from allowing the most goals in the NHL last season (293) to the least the very next season, a feat that had not been accomplished the in exactly 100 years with the Ottawa Senators in 1918-19. When the Islanders scored at least three goals, they were 38-2-2 during the regular season.
Robin Lehner and Thomas Greiss combined for the Masterton Trophy for the least amount of goals allowed in the NHL, as well as combining for the two of the top three save percentages among goalies who played over 40 games, Lehner with .930 and Greiss with .927. If both of them can continue their roles, the Islanders are in a great position to just win this series against Pittsburgh, but make a deep run at the Stanley Cup.
X Factor
The Islanders goaltending will not be an issue, but can their offense score enough goals to keep pace with the star power of the Penguins? Their defense may allow the least amount of goals in the league, but it’s far from bullet proof. If Lehner or Greiss get solved, it could mean the beginning of the end for the Islanders remarkable season.
Down the stretch in the regular season, the Islanders offense was not getting the job done. They were shutout three times in the final ten games, and scored more than two goals four times over the last 10 games.
Mat Barzal is the face of these Islanders, but his goal scoring dried up late in the season as he scored just one goal in the final 24 games of the regular season. For the Islanders to get past Pittsburgh, they will need everybody, especially their top players like Barzal to be firing on all cylinders.
The Islanders cannot get away from their game however. If they stick to their defensive system and limit Pittsburgh’s scoring chances, they’ll need to capitalize on almost of their chances in order to win this series.