New York Islanders: 5 Predictions for Second-Round of NHL Playoffs

The New York Islanders have advanced past the first-round of the NHL Playoffs so now it’s time to predict how second-round will play out.

In arguably the best first-round series of the NHL Playoffs, the New York Islanders were able to outlast the Florida Panthers. The Islanders were able to play a great series against the Panthers, as some clutch performances in overtime would ultimately be the difference.

The Islanders got excellent performances from some unlikely players, as Thomas Hickey and Alan Quine made two of the most important goals in the series. While it is nice to have players step up like Quine and Hickey did, a team needs their star to play great. John Tavares had never won a playoff series in his young career, and in Game 6 he looked like a player that was hungry to advance with two goals in the game.

It would be silly not to mention how great Thomas Greiss was in the first-round for the Islanders, as the goalie has made everyone forget about the injury to Jaroslav Halak. The Game 5 performance by Greiss will go down in Islanders’ history as one of the best games ever played by a goalie for the team.

All focus will now turn to the Tampa Bay Lighting, who were able to defeat the Detroit Red Wings rather easily in the first-round. The Lightning does come into the series without Steven Stamkos, Anton Stralman, and J.T. Brown, but they are still playing very good hockey. The Islanders will have to watch out for Nikita Kucherov, Tyler Johnson and Alex Killorn, who totaled 10 of Lightning’s 12 goals in the first-round.

It should be another great series for the Islanders against another team Florida, and here are five predictions for the series.

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