As we get closer to hockey’s return, I’ll be previewing the New York Islanders’ series against the Florida Panthers. Yesterday, I looked at which team had the better forwards and today, I’ll be giving some thoughts on which team has the stronger defense group.
The Islanders’ defense has been a huge part of their success over the last two seasons. Ryan Pulock is New York’s star on the back end and is not only the team’s best offensive defenseman but is also probably the team’s second-most reliable defender in his own end, behind only Adam Pelech. Speaking of Pelech, his return is a game changer for New York and between Pelech and Scott Mayfield, the Islanders have two quality shutdown defenders in their top-four. Meanwhile, Nick Leddy and Devon Toews add offensive upside and though neither is rock solid in their own end, the likes of Pelech and Mayfield can offset that problem. With Johnny Boychuk, Andy Greene and even Noah Dobson providing depth as well, the Islanders are in a good spot on the back end.
For Florida, defense was an issue this year. Between Aaron Ekblad and Keith Yandle, the Panthers certainly have two defenders who were able to add offense, each scoring at a pace of at least 50 points per 82. While Ekblad is a great all-around defender and has emerged as a star, however, Yandle played very sheltered minutes and was basically a power play specialist, playing just the sixth-most even strength minutes amongst Panthers’ defensemen but almost four minutes per game on the power play. MacKenzie Weegar is emerging as a solid defender, with the best expected goals for percentage amongst Panthers’ defensemen, but Mike Matheson struggled this season and new addition Anton Stralman hasn’t been as strong as the Panthers may have hoped. Riley Stillman has had a strong rookie season but has been forced into a large role, based on Florida’s defensive struggles. Josh Brown doesn’t provide great depth and then there’s Mark Pysyk, who struggles defensively but may be a useful bottom-six forward? Overall, Florida’s defense may be able to provide offense but the lack of defensive reliability played a crucial role in their disappointing season.
While the Panthers have the edge up front, it’s pretty clear that the Islanders have the stronger defense group. New York doesn’t have a ton of scoring but hopefully, they’ll be able to capitalize on Florida’s struggling blue line.
***NOTE: We've launched a HockeyBuzz Islanders Twitter account! For anyone interested, you can follow @HB_Islanders for updates on articles, Islanders news, etc. We're starting right from scratch, so any followers would be appreciated!***
Here’s today’s poll question (results and discussion will be posted in a future article):
Which team do you believe has the stronger defense?
New York Islanders Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»