New York Islanders Down Florida First Line (Keys To Game)

The New York Islanders head down south for a little Florida road trip. First stop, Sunrise to face former head coach Jack Capuano and the Florida Panthers. The single key? Stop the Panthers top line.

It’s never good to be a one trick pony in the NHL. But that’s exactly what New York Islanders opponent, the Florida Panthers are. They have one good forward line and that’s it.

The trio of Johnathan Huberdeau, Vincent Trocheck, and Aleksander Barkov have 75 points between the three of them in the first 26 games. Just under a point per game, each.

From there the scoring drops off a cliff for the Panthers. Sure, Dadonov has 18 points but then it’s Yandel at 13…and well you get the idea from there.

So the key to a win tonight is shutting down that Panthers top line. Keep them quiet and the New York Islanders have a great chance tonight.

It’s not going to be easy. The three are clearly quite a handful. It might mean that one of the Isles lines are a little quiet as they deal with the three. But that’s the beauty of having two great offensive lines.

if Tavares, Bailey, and Lee aren’t as productive, they can rely on the likes of Barzal, Eberle and Ladd to pickup the goal scoring burden. And vice-versa

Staff’s Keys To The Game

We asked our staff what they thought the keys to tonights have were and here’s what they told us.

David Lazar: Don’t be cocky. Florida is a good team, and with Jack Capuano behind the opposing bench, the Panthers must feel confident about today’s matchup. The Islanders need to stick to the basics: play solid defense, forecheck, and take advantage of opportunities.

Next: No Need To Go For Moulson

Billy Lewis: Tonight’s a crucial game for the Isles, with Tampa looming tomorrow they need 2 points tonight. Looking for a big game out of Halak