Eyes On Isles
Fansided

New York Islanders Hope To Get The Best of the Florida Panthers Again

By Michel Anderson

Apr 24, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; The New York Islanders celebrate after defeating the Florida Panthers in game six of the first round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Barclays Center. The Islanders defeated the Panthers 2-1 to win the series four games to two. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 24, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; The New York Islanders celebrate after defeating the Florida Panthers in game six of the first round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Barclays Center. The Islanders defeated the Panthers 2-1 to win the series four games to two. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports /
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The New York Islanders welcome the Florida Panthers to the Barclays Center. After two back-to-back losses to the worst teams in the league, the Islanders need an emotional pick-me-up to get them back to form. Maybe a win against a team they beat in the playoffs last season could do that.

The New York Islanders need a spark. Something to see them where we all thought they should be going into the 2016-17 season. Maybe a matchup against the team they beat in the opening round of the playoffs could be just that?

Why not? It may not be a natural rivalry like the one the Isles have against the New York Rangers. But there’s nothing like a tough playoff series to get those rivalry juices flowing!

The only issue is that nothing at this point of the season has seemed to get the Islanders going.

Demoting one of their signature signings from last season. A nice little run of form in November-December. The waiving of their number one goalie. Or even hitting the basement of the entire league. None of it has produced a sustained spark in this team.

So, maybe this game will get them going. But there’s no guarantee that they actually take any momentum from a possible win going forward.

Money Line

New York Islanders -115/+104 Florida Panthers (Opening Line)

And that’s just assuming you believe the Islanders can win this game. Because according to Vegas, they probably won’t.  At -115, the Islanders are favored to win. But after you factor in the 15 point home team bonus the Vegas seems to award teams, this game is an absolute toss up.

If you’ve seen the Islanders play in 2017 you’ll understand why.

The Islanders just can’t seem to get their offense going. Over their last two games, against the two worst teams in the league, the Islanders scored a total of two goals.

The biggest absentee is captain John Tavares, who in the last five games, has three points. Two in that 6-1 trouncing of the Winnipeg Jets to end the 2016 calendar year, and another in a 6-4 loss to the Minnesota Wild.

If the Isles hope to get on track, something that is admittedly a pipe dream these days, they need their offense, lead by Tavares to get back into form.

Notable Note: Adam Pelech Comes In for the Injured Hamonic Tonight

New York Islanders Lineup:

Lee-Tavares-Bailey                      Leddy-Pelech
Prince-Nelson-Strome               Hickey-Boychuk
Ladd-Quine-Chimera                  de Haan-Seidenberg
Kulemin-Cizikas-Clutterbuck   Greiss (Berube)

Florida Panthers Lineup:

Sceviour-Trocheck-Jagr                  Yandle-Demers
Marchessault-Jokinen-Smith       Matheson-Ekblad
MacKenzie-Scarbossa-McCann  Pysyk-Kindl
Thompson-Malgin-Thornton       Luongo (Reimer)

Next: Okposo and Nielsen Are All-Stars Now

Where Can You Cath the Game:

Live: 7pm, Barclays Center
TV: MSG+
Radio: 660AM, 101.9FM – WFAN, 88.7FM – WRHU

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