Islanders podcast: Examining Florida Panthers flaws

In our 153rd episode New York Islanders podcast, we look at the Florida Panthers flaws.

We’re just over a week away from the New York Islanders facing off against the Florida Panthers in the qualifying round of the 2019-20 season. After months of no hockey, we’re nine days away until we see competitive hockey once again.

What should we know about our opponents in the qualifying round?

We already know that the Florida Panthers are a top tier offensive team. With players like Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, Mike Hoffman, and Evgenii Dadonov the Panthers don’t have a problem scoring goals.

But what about the other aspects of a hockey game, like defense, special teams, and goalkeeping? How have the Florida Panthers done in those regards, specifically since we saw them last on December 12?

Matt and I discuss what the Panthers do well, and what they don’t do well as the Islanders gear up to face them in a best-of-five series starting on August 1.

What Else Do We Discuss?

• The Islanders will test both goalies during training camp. Unlike the Panthers, who will start Sergei Bobrovsky between the pipes, the starting goalie for the New York Islanders isn’t quite clear. Barry Trotz will allow Semyon Varlamov and Thomas Greiss to battle for the crease. We try to figure out who might get the nod.
• Training camp notes.
  • The top and bottom forward lines are set but the middle six is up for debate. So we debate who will sit on the Islanders second and third lines. What makes this difficult is that one spot is up for grabs with up to eight players eyeing it.
  • Mathew Barzal won’t stop scoring goals at training camp. Can he keep that form going in the postseason?
  • Can the Islanders fix their power play in this two-week training camp? The Panthers have a 75.0 percent PK efficiency since we last saw them, now would be a good time to sort it out.
• You have five guesses to name a player who’s played 53 games for the Islanders. Think you can do it before Matt does in our quiz segment?

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