Islanders top performers against the Florida Panthers in 2019-20

Who are the New York Islanders best performers against the Florida Panthers in 2019-20?

We know that the New York Islanders are taking on the Florida Panthers in the play-in round before the 2020 playoffs. We also know that the Islanders hold a pretty good record against the Panthers in 2019-20.

This season the Isles are 3-0-0 against the Panthers. In those three games, the Islanders have scored an average of 2.67 goals-for while allowing 1.33 goals-against on average.

The two teams faced off in October with the Isles picking up a 3-2 shootout win as they began a ten-game winning streak and a 17-game point streak. They then met in November where the blue and orange walked away with a 2-1 win. They played one final time in December and the Isles pulled out a 3-1 win.

That 3-0 record is a huge improvement on the 1-1-1 record the Isles had against the Panthers, who brought in three-time Stanley Cup-winning coach Joel Quenneville and two-time Vezina winning goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.

We know the Islanders have done well against the Panthers this season, but I was interested to see who’s put up some of the best performances for the Isles against the Panthers in 19-20. Who on the Islanders absolutely loves to play the Panthers?

Thomas Greiss

I know that yesterday I wrote that Semyon Varlamov is likely to get the start between the pipes for the Islanders for the play-in round, but Thomas Greiss has been something of a cat specialist in 2019-20.

Greiss has two starts against the Panthers this season and holds a 2-0-0 record. In those two starts, he’s stopped 69 of 71 shots for a clean 1.00GAA and 0.972SV%. He’s allowed a single goal at 5on5 and one on the PK.

There’s some merit to thinking that Greiss would be the better option between the pipes.

Mathew Barzal

Through three games against the cats this season, Mathew Barzal has collected four points two goals and two helpers. He’s been absolutely lethal against the Panthers this year. Just watch this goal by Barzal on the power play.

Anyone else in this world is shooting that puck as soon as it hits their stick. Not Barzal. He faked out everyone and buried the puck backhand. Beautiful.

Jordan Eberle

Jordan Eberle has three helpers in three games against the Panthers this season. He hasn’t scored but he’s been a creator in chief for the Islanders when facing the cats.

With ten shots on goal, he’s getting enough puck towards the net as well. At some point, his below-average 11.3 shooting percentage (over the season) is going to change for the best why not against the Panthers? We’ve seen what he can do in the playoffs last year.

Anders Lee

Anders Lee

has two goals and one helper against the Panthers. One of those goals was an empty netter. But that empty netter wasn’t a freebie. Lee had to out skate and outmuscle 6’4″ 215lbs

Aaron Ekblad

to get this one to go. Just watch the sheer will and tenacity of the captain to bury the game here.

Chills. That’s the type of hustle you want to see from your captain.

His three points put him even with Eberle as the second most productive forward against the Panthers this season.

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It seems the Islanders top line of Barzal, Eberle, and Lee love to play the Panthers. Hopefully, when the play-in round gets here they can continue that dominance.