The New York Islanders clinched their spot in the first round yesterday with a 5-1 win over the Florida Panthers.
The Islanders dominated the majority of the game, getting far better scoring chances, especially in the first two periods. They outshot Florida 38-25 and didn’t give up many good chances at even strength.
It was also Mathew Barzal’s best game so far by a long shot. He was flyings all over the ice, carrying the puck more, making some great passes (including his sweet pass to Anthony Beauvillier) and then scored on an individual effort.
Also, I know I keep bringing him up, but Beauvillier was great again and has been excellent since the NHL resumed. This is a new level in his game and if he can keep this up, that’s a massive boost for New York’s forward group.
Brock Nelson also had a really strong game and this was a better one for Anders Lee as well. Between Barzal, Beauvillier, Lee and Nelson, the four forwards combined for a ridiculous 20 shots in Game 4.
I didn’t think I’d say this, but I was pretty disappointed to see Leo Komarov in for Tom Kuhnhackl. Normally I’d prefer Komarov but Kuhnhackl was actually having a really strong series and fit in well on the third line. I really hope New York shifts back to Kuhnhackl for the first round.
Semyon Varlamov wasn’t tested a ton but he made the saves he needed to and the goal he allowed wasn’t his fault. Also, credit to Ryan Pulock for his stick save when Varlamov was caught on the other side of the crease and the Panthers had an entire net to shoot at.
Overall, it was probably New York's best all around game of the series. It was a great team effort and if the Islanders can repeat that performance consistently, they could do some damage in the playoffs.
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Here’s today’s poll question (results and discussion will be posted in a future article):
Do you think Game 4 was New York's best game of the qualifying round?
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