After losing the first game of Round 2 at home, the New York Islanders will be looking to bounce back and even the series against the Carolina Hurricanes. Here are three keys for victory.
The debate surrounding rest in the playoffs has continued as both the Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Islanders lost their first games after sweeping their opponents in Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Their opponents were forced to battle hard to game 7 and they never had the chance to give their intensity time to die down, which has played to their favour.
However, last night, the Blue Jackets defeated the Boston Bruins in double overtime and the Islanders will be looking to find a similar result this afternoon. Here are three keys for the New York Islanders.
3. Don’t overthink
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Goaltender Petr Mrazek has been stellar for the Carolina Hurricanes and in game 1, he shut the door on the Islanders, stopping 31 of 31 shots. When a goalie is stopping everything, even grade-A chances, the opposing team starts to look for the perfect play and often chooses to pass rather than shoot. It’s important for the Islanders to not overthink their plays and to barrage Mrazek with shots.
They have the talent, skill, and depth to score, but if they let Mrazek get to their heads, they will have a tough time finding the back of the net.
2. Stay structured
The Islanders are one of the stingiest teams in the NHL, all thanks to the defensive structure that Barry Trotz implemented when he arrived as head coach. The team went from last in the league in goals against to first, only allowing 2.21 goals against the regular season.
Their structure was what allowed them to sweep the Pittsburgh Penguins as they bottled up the neutral zone and didn’t allow deadly cross-seam passes in their defensive zone. Against a speedy team like the Carolina Hurricanes, they need to continue to play that style of hockey if they want to contain their offence.
1. Brick wall
Robin Lehner has been practically unstoppable in the playoffs, with a 4-1 record and a .958 save percentage. The only reason he lost a game was that the team in front of him was shutout. He literally could not play a better game.
When your goaltender is stopping everything, it becomes very easy to win games. As long as the Islanders can manage 2+ goals, it shouldn’t be hard for them to leave New York with the series tied 1-1.