The regular season of the NHL officially came to a close last night, and the Rangers and Islanders finished 4th and 5th in the Eastern Conference, respectively. The Rangers, who finished with 101 points, will square off against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday, April 13th at 8:00 pm Eastern. The Islanders ended the year with 100 points, and will face the Florida Panthers on Thursday, April 14th at 8:00 pm Eastern.
Before we dive into the playoff preview, let's take a look at some of the end of the season statistics.
Starting with the Rangers,
Games Played: J.T. Miller (82), Keith Yandle (82), and Mats Zuccarello (81)
Goals: Derick Brassard (27), Mats Zuccarello (26), Derek Stepan (22), J.T. Miller (22)
Assists: Keith Yandle (42), Mats Zuccarello (35), Derick Brassard (31), Derek Stepan (31)
Points: Mats Zuccarello (61), Derick Brassard (58), Derek Stepan (53)
+/- : Ryan McDonagh (26), Dan Girardi (18), Kevin Klein (16)
Shot Percentage: J.T. Miller (16.3), Mats Zuccarello (15.7), Derick Brassard (14.8)
Goals Allowed Per Game: Antti Raanta (2.24), Henrik Lundqvist (2.48)
Save Percentage: Henrik Lindqvist (.920), Antti Raanta (.919)
Brief Preview:
New York has gone deeper in the playoffs in each of Alain Vigneault's two seasons then they had in any of their previous 10 seasons. They got to Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final in the 2014 season, and Game 7 of the Conference Final last year.
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| J.T. Miller had a breakout season for NYR |
In order for the Rangers to win, they need Rick Nash to be effective, as well as mid-season acquisition Eric Staal, J.T. Miller, Kevin Hayes, and Chris Kreider. Brassard, Stepan, Zuccarello, and Fast have been relatively consistent this season, so it is vital that the team's aforementioned forwards step up their game.
Right now, it is unclear whether captain Ryan McDonagh will play in the series, as well as defenseman Dan Girardi. In their place, the team will look to Marc Staal, Kevin Klein, Dan Boyle, or Keith Yandle to help pick up the slack.
Of-course, Lundqvist needs to be at the top of his game, as the Penguins have some talented scorers.
Speaking of those Penguins, they have had a whirl of a season. After starting the season 15-10-3, they fired coach Mike Johnston, and promoted former Rangers assistant Mike Sullivan to the position. Sullivan turned around the team, making them into one of the hottest in the league.
The headliner for Pittsburgh is still Sidney Crosby, who finished with 36 goals and 85 points after a very slow start. The organization also has star defenseman Kris Letang and speedstar Carl Hagelin, a former Ranger forward.
Evgeni Malkin, who was one of Pittsburgh's consistent offensive threats, is recovering from an upper body injury that may keep him out for the entire first round. On the topic of injuries, their star goalie, Marc-Andre Fleury, has been sidelined with a concussion. Fleury was replaced by backup Matthew Murray, who went 4-0-0 in his absence. However, Murray was injured in a collision on the ice this past Saturday, putting his status in question.
Both Fleury and Murray's status for Wednesday are unknown, and if they cannot play it will put the position in the hands of third string goalie Jeff Zatkoff, who has made 35 career NHL starts in 3 seasons, going 16-14-3.
Now, let's move to the Islanders
Games Played: *TIED* Frans Nielsen (81), Nick Leddy (81), Brock Nelson (81), Josh Bailey (81), Nikolay Kulemin (81)
Goals: John Tavares (33), Brock Nelson (26), Kyle Okposo (22)
Assists: Kyle Okposo (42), John Tavares (37), Nick Leddy (35)
Points: John Tavares (70), Kyle Okposo (64), Frans Nielsen (52)
+/- : Johnny Boychuk (17), Nikolay Kulemin (13), Thomas Hickey (9)
Shot Percentage (Min. 70 games): Cal Clutterbuck (18.80), Brock Nelson (15.80), John Tavares (13.20)
Goals Allowed Per Game: Jaroslav Halak (2.30), Thomas Greiss (2.36)
Save Percentage: Thomas Greiss (.925), Jaroslav Halak (.919)
Brief Preview:
The Islanders, led by cornerstone piece John Tavares, are trying to end a long post-season drought. The team has clinched a playoff spot in 3 of the last 4 seasons, but have been unable to win a series since 1993. Coach Jack Capuano has won over 200 games since taking the position in November 2010, but his job may be in jeopardy if the organization cannot find a way past the Panthers.
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| The Islanders are looking for their first series win since 1993 |
New York may begin the playoffs without their top defenseman, Travis Hamonic, due to a lower body injury that he sustained on March 31. Calvin de Haan was regarded as the team's most underrated defenseman this year, as he was among the NHL's top blockers.
Not only if the team missing Hamonic, but they will be without star goalie Jaroslav Halak as he is out with a lower body injury as well. Halak is unlikely to come back unless the Islanders find a way past the first round. Despite this, backup Thomas Greiss has been solid all season long, and was arguably their most valuable player during the first half of the year.
Postseason hockey always relies on strong goaltending, and this series won't be any different. Greiss, who has only participated in one career NHL playoff game, will need to step up big time if the Islanders have any chance of staying alive.
The Panthers have been of the most surprising and exciting teams in the NHL this year. Led by Jaromir Jagr, Florida won the second division title in franchise history and is back in the playoffs for the first time in four years.
Starting goalie Roberto Luongo, a former Islanders draft choice, turned 37 on April 4, but remained a top tiered goalie in the league. Backup goalie Al Montoya rebounded from a mediocre 2014-2015 season, so in the event of a potential Luongo injury, the Panthers are well equipped with a replacement.
The trio of Jagr, Aleksander Barkov, and Jonathan Huberdeau (the latter two being acquired by the Devils in 2015) has dominated games with their ability to control the puck, combined with creative passing.
Aaron Ekblad, the team's first pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, paired with Brian Campbell, are regarded as offensive-minded defenseman, and Ekblad's knack for shooting on the power play makes him a valuable commodity.
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