It’s another Islanders’ game day, as the Islanders and Panthers face off in game two of their Stanley Cup Qualifiers series. At 12:00 PM EST, the Islanders look to go up 2-0 on the opponent Panthers in their quest for the Stanley Cup. Prior to the first game of the series, some of our writers predicted who would win in the series and in how many games. In this article, we will see if any of their picks changed after the performance of each team in the first game.

Lexi Panagatos: Islanders win the Series

I believe that the Islanders vs Panthers series will extend past 3 games, I say Islanders in 4. Both teams showed aggressive play and positioning well but the Islanders just happen to do it a little more. I believe the Islanders also have more talent and depth in their lines compared to the Panthers. The only thing that could catch the Islanders in a loss could be their lack of shooting and their excessive passing. In hockey, it’s definitely good to generate some chances through passing but when you hold the puck too long it allows the goaltender to get into position to block the shot. If the Islanders could speed up the passing and possibly get more shots on net then worry about keeping the zone they could have the possibility of catching the goaltender off guard to get scoring on the board.

Will Wiegelman: Islanders win the Series

The Islanders proved in game 1 that they will continue to play their game. It looked more like the early season than the late-season which was great. Florida had very little consistent zone time and Varly can make the first save most of the time.

David Lazar: Islanders win the Series

The Islanders looked really good in Game 1. Really really good. That was Barry Trotz’s ideal style of hockey, the bend-don’t-break system that dominated against the Penguins in the postseason last year. I expect the Islanders to keep it up and win this series. A sweep is very possible, but I want to be safe and will predict a 3-2 series victory for the Islanders. The Panthers are talented offensively and with how well Sergei Bobrovsky played, anything is possible. Nonetheless, I will stay take the Islanders in five.

Jake Blackmore: Islanders win the Series

Last game, the boys put on a show. Barry Trotz’s defensive machine proved why they are one of the best in the league. Low scoring games are the Isles’ forté, and I believe the Islanders take this next game 2-1, putting New York in prime position to move onto the next round.
Make sure to watch the Islanders take on the Panthers in game two as they look to take a commanding 2-0 lead on their opponents!

SEF