On Friday, the New York Islanders came out with a dominant 5-1 victory over the Florida Panthers to clinch a spot in the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Led by Ryan Pulock, Anthony Beauvillier, Semyon Varlamov, and Jean-Gabriel Pageau, the Islanders played an extremely convincing series, which was rather one-sided outside of Game 3. As a result, the Islanders will play in the First Round.

Obviously, the setup for the playoffs is vastly different this season, as it is done by seeding in each conference. With the Canadiens eliminating the Penguins Friday evening, the Islanders automatically become the 6 seed in the Eastern Conference. As a result, they will play the 3-seed, which will be the winner of the Bruins-Capitals Round Robin game on Sunday. Let’s break down potential matchups for the Islanders’ possible opponents in the “first round.”

Boston Bruins

Despite a slow start to the round-robin, the Bruins are one of the best teams in hockey. Winning the Presidents’ Trophy this season and being the only team to reach 100 points, Boston was the most winningest team in the regular season.

It is no secret the Islanders have struggled with Boston immensely. Historically, Boston is not the best matchup for the Islanders. The Bruins went 2-0-1 against New York this year, dropping their only game in the season series in the shootout. While season series don’t mean anything in the grand scheme of things, the Islanders have struggled with Boston for years.

This does not mean, in the slightest, that the Islanders can’t beat Boston. We’ve seen some absurd upsets already in this year’s postseasons, and with the defensive style the Islanders play, they are capable of taking down anyone in their way.

However, Boston prioritizes defense and has a lights-out goaltender in Tuukka Rask. Boston would play tight defense against the Islanders, and try to find ways to win low-scoring games. It is unlikely the Islanders would give up a lot of goals, so Boston would have to counter that with solid defense. Also, of course, their top line of Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, and Patrice Bergeron is the most dangerous in hockey.
In short, the Islanders would be massive underdogs if they were to face Boston. While the matchup isn’t necessarily favorable, the Islanders were very competitive with Boston this year in past meetings and anything can happen in the craziness that is the Playoffs.

Washington Capitals

It would certainly be fun to see Barry Trotz have the opportunity to coach against his former team (which he won a Stanley Cup with) in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Over the past couple seasons, the Capitals and Islanders have played much more evenly than Boston and the Islanders have.

These two teams are no strangers to each other. Between Barry Trotz, competing for the top of the Metropolitan Division last season, and a tight playoff series in 2015, these teams have built a small rivalry among themselves. Unlike Boston, the Capitals put offense first. With an absolutely lethal top-six, the Capitals have been a scoring machine all season. For the Islanders, their strict defensive system can potentially counter that.

Braden Holtby has also had an underwhelming season. While it is foolish to count out Braden Holtby in a Playoff series, the numbers show he has declined this season. He is capable of turning it around at any point. Holtby and Varlamov would be an interesting goaltending matchup to say the very least.

The main area the Islanders struggled with against Florida in the Qualifiers was the penalty kill. This is where Washington can kill the Islanders. The Capitals are loaded up front with John Carlson quarterbacking their power play. Alex Ovechkin would more than likely sit in his famous spot in the top of the circle, and release his potent one-timer that goaltenders have struggled to stop for over 15 years.
While the Islanders would still be underdogs, they wouldn’t be as unfavored as they would be against Boston. This series would be a lot of fun, tight, and very winnable. The Islanders “first round” is just a few days away, as it will be exciting to see who lies in their way next.

John Smark