Feature How the Pause Affects the Islanders’ Stanley Cup Dreams by Chris Passarelli June 15, 2020 The National Hockey League season stopped abruptly due to the coronavirus pandemic on March 12. The New York Islanders were in Calgary for their game against the Flames when the season was shut down. They were also in the middle of a seven-game losing streak, going 0-3-4 in those contests. It was announced by the NHL on June 11 that July 10 was the official date for mandatory training camps, to resume pending clearance from medical professionals. The Islanders are back to some kind of normalcy, at least. And now with the return of hockey imminent, the Islanders shift their focus to the Play-In series with the tenth seed Florida Panthers. For a full breakdown of the new Stanley Cup Playoffs format, check out this article. How will the pause affect the Islanders’ Stanley Cup odds? Let’s break it down. Throw out the past As previously mentioned, the Islanders were on a seven-game losing streak. Lucky for them, they did get four points. If they hadn’t, they would be playing a much more formidable opponent. The Florida Panthers have plenty of talent, but they aren’t exactly world beaters. Having a restart on the season means the Islanders can throw out their 2019-20 regular season, good, bad and indifferent. They went on a 17-game point streak at the beginning of the season and then a seven-game losing streak. In between was some sluggish play and a lot of treading water. None of it matters now, as the only thing the Islanders have to look forward to is the Florida Panthers. As long as they beat the Panthers in their five game play-in series, they can move onto the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Everyone is healthy The Islanders had some major injuries by March 12th. They were limping to the finish line with the loss of two of their marquee defensemen (Adam Pelech, Johnny Boychuk) and two-thirds of their most important line (Casey Cizikas, Cal Clutterbuck). Cizikas, Clutterbuck and Boychuk are all back after suffering skate lacerations to different parts of their body, an impressive feat considering how rare skate lacerations are in this day and age. The most important piece they get back is Pelech, who was considered lost for the season after rupturing his Achilles tendon in January. Pelech is one of the most underrated defensemen in the entire league and the rock of the Islanders’ stalwart defensive corps. Without him, the Islanders just weren’t the same team. Plus, Adam Pelech at 80% is better than no Pelech at all. Need to start hot None of this matters if the Islanders don’t take care of business immediately. The Panthers may not be an elite team, but they are talented and have a lot of stars. Sasha Barkov can take over a series by himself. With players like Jonathan Huberdeau, Aaron Ekblad and Keith Yandle, there’s plenty of firepower on both ends. The key to this series will be the up-and-down Sergei Bobrovsky. Bobrovsky is an extremely talented goaltender who can be the X-Factor in this series. He hasn’t played up to his ridiculous contract all season, but if he gets hot the Islanders are in trouble. For the Islanders to win this first series, they can’t come out of the gates slow. A Barry Trotz team is always prepared, but too many times the Islanders have come out sleepwalking for a period or two. The team needs to be consistent throughout the entire series. It sounds cliche and obvious, but anything can happen in a five-game series and there isn’t really much time to recover. New York doesn’t want to put themselves in a 2-0 hole and have to fight their way out of it. As long as they win Game 1, the Islanders’ Stanley Cup dreams should remain intact, but it’s a tall task after being away from the rink for three-plus months. Post Views: 1,155 The following two tabs change content below.BioLatest Posts Chris Passarelli Football Editor - Hockey Editor - New York Islanders Lead Writer - New York Lizards Lead Writer - UConn Football Lead Writer Latest posts by Chris Passarelli (see all) NFL Network to Premiere ‘The Top 100 Players of 2020’ on July 26 - July 22, 2020 The ‘Toilet Bowl’ may be coming to Western New York - July 16, 2020 Bigger is Better; SoFi Stadium Completes Largest Videoboard in Sports - July 1, 2020 Smoltz, Vrabel and Brown talk American Century Championship and Everything in Between - June 30, 2020 Related TopicsAdam PelechBarry TrotzCal ClutterbuckCasey CizikasDouble G SportsFlorida PanthersJohnny BoychukNew York IslandersNHLstanley cup Click to comment You must be logged in to post a comment Login Leave a Reply Cancel replyYou must be logged in to post a comment. Newsletter Subscription Can't Miss Posts! Women in Sports: NHL Network Host, Jackie Redmond by Nicholas Durst | posted on March 4, 2019 Women in Sports: Podcast Host, New York Riptide Sideline Reporter, Dani Wexelman by Luke Porco | posted on March 3, 2020 From Paramus High School to CBS Sports, Spero Dedes is making waves in sports broadcasting by Sunil Sunder Raj | posted on October 27, 2020 Lochte, Dressel and Ledecky all Chasing Gold at 2021 Tokyo Olympics by Anthony Paradiso | posted on April 18, 2021 “Overtime” l Ep. 28: TopSpin Celeb-Athlete Tournament – Dec. 6, 2018 by Stefany Romero | posted on December 19, 2018 More in Feature You Know I’m Right, Episode 113: New York Post Columnist Phil Mushnick (Audio/Video) On the 113th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... You Know I’m Right, Episode 112: New York Jets’ Insider Brian Costello (Audio/Video) On the 112th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... You Know I’m Right, Episode 111: New York Giants’ Insider John Schmeelk (Audio/Video) On the 111th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... You Know I’m Right, Episode 109: The Athletic’s Marc Carig (Audio/Video) On the 109th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... Meet Yankees UDFA Signing Carson Coleman Nassau Coliseum to shutter indefinitely