Islanders: Pros and cons of series vs Philadelphia Flyers or Boston Bruins

Philadelphia Flyers

Regular-season record: 41-21-7 (89 points)
Record vs Islanders (since 18-19): 5-2-0

Pros

Flyers PP is terrible: The Flyers power play hasn’t been effective in the playoffs. They have four goals in 35 opportunities for an 11.4 percent efficiency. Not that the Islanders should be throwing any stones. The Isles PP isn’t any better converting on six of 38 opportunities (15.8 percent) since the start of the playoffs.

But the only reason the Washington Capitals had any life in their series against the Islanders was their success on the man advantage. The Capital scored 50 percent of their goals in the series on the man advantage.

If the Isles can continue to be strong at 5on5 and the deal with what seems to be a bad Philly PP, the blue and orange are in great shape to progress.

They match up well against Flyers: As divisional opponents, the Islanders have seen plenty of the Philadelphia Flyers. Over the last two seasons, the Isles hold a 5-2-0 record against the Flyers. In three games this season, their record is 3-0-0.

While two of those wins came during the Islanders historic 17-game point streak from October/November, that third win (a 5-3 win with three Barzal helpers) came while the Isles were in complete free fall in the middle of February. The Isles know how to play against the Flyers.

Cons

Carter Hart is great: The 22-year-old Alberta native already has two shutouts in this series against the Habs and holds a 0.935SV% and 2.50 goals saved above average.

Against the Capitals, the Islanders faced Braden Holtby who wasn’t exactly ‘good’ going into the playoffs – with a 0.897SV% and -16.76GSAA – and he wasn’t any better in the playoffs with a 0.895SV% and -2.92GSAA.

(Stats from NaturalStatTrick, for all situations, and from August 11th onward.)

Facing a hot goalie could be an issue for the Isles typical quality over quantity approach.

Good 5on5 team: The Islanders had a ton of success against the Capitals at 5on5. The Islanders scored nearly two-thirds of their goals at 5on5.

The Flyers are much stingier, giving up five of the eleven goals scored by the Habs in their series at 5on5. That’s going to be tough for the Islanders who, as previously mentioned, are terrible on the power play.