12/7/2023 0 Comments Bruins vs islanders predictionHe recorded eight points in eight games against the Bruins during the regular season and will be expected to be impactful against them both offensively and defensively. He was good against the Penguins, but will have to step up here. Pageau is going to be key for the Islanders in this series. Bruins-killer Jean-Gabriel Pageau isn’t much different. Zajac is a valued veteran with experience who’s a great two-way forward. We know that Oliver Wahlstrom is doubtful for game one and after the game Travis Zajac had on Wednesday, it’s likely that he’ll remain in the lineup in the rookie’s stead. The Islanders’ third liners will be expected to shut these guys down, something we know they can do. Nick Ritchie had a good-not-great year, Jake DeBrusk was inconsistent during the regular season but good against the Washington Capitals in round one of the playoffs, and Charlie Coyle has been bad and nowhere near as impactful as he was during last season’s playoffs. For the Bruins, the third line hasn’t been as advertised this season. It could end up becoming the battle of the second lines, but each team’s x-factor is probably their third lines. The Islanders’ will just have to be better. Hall has been excellent for the Bruins and was key in helping them win their three games against the Islanders to end the regular season, scoring four goals.Įvidently, Boston’s second line is excellent. They’ll be going up against Taylor Hall, David Krejci, and Craig Smith. Josh Bailey, Anthony Beauvillier, and Brock Nelson, who combined for a whopping nine goals in six games against Pittsburgh, are going to have to do it all again because this series could end up becoming the battle of the second lines. Komarov is going to need to exemplify that.Īs we’ve mentioned, the Islanders’ second line shined during the first round and was a significant reason why the team was so successful. The Bruins, who are a gritty team themselves, are aware of the Islanders’ physicality and forechecking. Komarov will have a significant role to play, as well.īarry Trotz praises him for his physicality and toughness, and those are traits he’s going to have to use against the dangerous Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and David Pastrnak. The best two-way line and one of the best lines in hockey, the Bruins’ number one line is their most dangerous weapon and one that the Islanders must be wary of.įor that reason, New York’s top line has to step up. It’s especially important that the top line produces because they’ll be going up against Boston’s top guys, the “Perfection Line”. And if Barzal gets going, then his linemates get going, and the Islanders have yet another dangerous weapon. He recorded just three assists in the first series, which isn’t ideal.Īgainst a team such as the Bruins, your best player has to be just that and do much more than Barzal did against Pittsburgh. Barzal, in particular, must be better against the Bruins. This line wasn’t nearly as impactful as it should have been in the Islanders’ first series against the Penguins.Īs was mentioned in the Islanders-Penguins series recap, as valuable as Leo Komarov is, he isn’t expected to produce the way Anders Lee did in that position and he is holding that line back, but that can’t be an excuse for Mathew Barzal and Jordan Eberle.Įberle is a skilled veteran and Barzal is the team’s best player and playmaker. The top line, in particular, is going to have to be great. The Forwardsįrom top to bottom, the Islanders’ forwards are going to have to step up in big ways. Let’s take a look at how both teams stack up and what the Islanders must do in order to emerge victorious. Both teams will also need to rely on their depth and physicality and will hope that their trade deadline acquisitions step up. They both have great coaches, elite defenses, and excellent goaltending. Another factor that makes coming up with a prediction hard is that both teams are so similar. That makes it tough to make a confident prediction about their upcoming playoff series. The Islanders won the first five but lost the final three, all of which came after the trade deadline. The regular season games between these two teams were interesting. This marks the first time these two meet in the playoffs since 1983. They’ll be facing the always-dangerous Boston Bruins. The New York Islanders beat the odds and defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games to move on to the second round of the 2021 playoffs. The Islanders will take on a similar team in the Bruins in the second round of the 2021 playoffs.
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