Islanders Playoffs News: “We’re getting ready to go to war”

This anticipation is killing me—I want it to be Sunday at noon already! I can only read so many Stanley Cup Playoffs previews. I want the real thing now.

Thankfully, we have only one more sleep until the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins begin their first-round series in Pittsburgh.

I love the sound of this from Ryan Pulock.

In the meantime, there will be playoff hockey tonight. The Washington Capitals host the Boston Bruins in the East Division’s other series. Puck drop is around 7:15 p.m. ET on NBC.

Islanders Playoffs News

• The Athletic recruited a current player, a former player, a scout, and an analyst, all under anonymity, to break down the series and make predictions. Most like the Islanders.
• The Islanders' most important task of the series will be trying to cancel out Sidney Crosby and the rest of his line. [Newsday]
• A key player from each team: the Isles’ Kyle Palmieri and the Pens’ Tristan Jarry. A key factor for each: the Isles’ road struggles and the Pens’ speed. [Newsday]
• Our Penguins’ SBN counterparts over at PensBurgh hosted a former minor league goalie to size up the starting goalies in this series. [Semyon Varlamov | Tristan Jarry]
• (Yester)day in Isles’ History: David Volek scored off the rush in overtime of Game 7 to eliminate the two-time defending Cup champion Penguins (1993). That May 14, like this May 14, was a Friday.
• Any sneakerheads out there?

Islanders Regular News

• Co-owner Jon Ledecky led a goodwill tour around the Island, visiting Islanders fans facing severe health challenges. [Newsday | Islanders]

• Stan Fischler remembers for us the second round of the 1981 Cup run. The Islanders defeated in six games the upstart Edmonton Oilers and some rookie named Wayne Gretzky. [Maven’s Memories]
• It’s really coming together nicely.

Elsewhere

Only one NHL score last night: The Winnipeg Jets defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in regulation in each team’s last game of the regular season.

• NHL dot com made its predictions for the first round and the finals. Many picked the Islanders and one guy even picked the Leafs to beat the Isles for the Stanley Cup. [NHL]
• The Athletic brought in some more guys around the league, in various capacities, to make predictions on each series. [The Athletic]
• Alex Ovechkin’s primary focus is to win the Cup; he will worry about his contract after that. [NHL]
• Drew Doughty said that the Los Angeles Kings are “running out of time.” He sounded frustrated. [NHL]
• A fantastic story about the humble and self-deprecating Elliotte Friedman, hockey’s great storyteller, and his rise to hockey reporter stardom. [Globe & Mail]