The Islanders will be looking for goals from Anders Lee (left) and Mathew Barzal (right) to eliminate the Florida Panthers in Game 4 of their qualification series. Photo by David Limbaugh (Twitter).
- The New York Islanders can win a playoff series for the third time in the last five seasons by beating the Florida Panthers in Game 4 on Friday (noon ET)
- The Panthers have only scored three 5-on-5 goals in the first three games of the playoffs
- Goalie Semyon Varlamov owns a 2.03 goals-against average and .923 save percentage for the Islanders in the series
The New York Islanders, according to the odds, have a slightly reduced probability of winning their NHL qualifying round series and eliminating the Florida Panthers. But the Islanders, leading 2-1 in their best-of-five series, are still a good bet to advance with a win in Game 4 on Friday, August 7th (noon, ET).
Panthers vs. Islanders Series Odds
| Team | Odds at DraftKings |
|---|---|
| Florida Panthers | +300 |
| New York Islanders | -370 |
Odds taken August 6.
Barry Trotz’s Islanders are allowing the Panthers only 26 shots per game, which is the lowest shot average in the postseason.
The Panthers, who ranked sixth in the NHL in team scoring during the regular-season, are a better scoring team than the Islanders. But the Islanders won the first two games of the series by minimizing scoring chances. Even in the Panthers’ 3-2 win on Wednesday, the Panthers managed only 22 shots on goal.
If the Islanders keep the Panthers under 30 shots, they have a superb chance of winning.
Joel Quenneville vs. Barry Trotz
Florida fans are counting on coach Joel Quenneville, with three Stanley Cup championships on his resume from his days in Chicago, to have some tricks in his bag to defeat the Islanders. He continues to adjust, playing a simpler game in Game 3 and benching defenseman Mike Matheson.
But Quenneville’s championship experience is negated by Trotz’s experience, who won a Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals. He’s a masterful defensive tactician, probably one of the top three in the game. His defensive scheme in this series has been strangling the Panthers’ offense. Florida has only netted six goals in three games.
🎥 Barry Trotz addresses the media following today’s practice in Toronto. pic.twitter.com/AscQD7i2Zi
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) August 3, 2020
How the Panthers Could Win this Series
Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky has the ability to take charge of this series. If he could post two shutouts in Games 4 and 5, or even limit the Islanders to a goal per game, the Panthers could become only the second team in NHL history to erase a 2-0 series deficit to win.
Teams that claimed a 2-0 series lead are 56-1 in league history.
This scenario isn’t unthinkable. Let’s remember that the Islanders were 22nd in scoring this season at 2.78 goals per game. Mathew Barzal has some sizzle as an offensive player, and Anders Lee and Brock Nelson are proven scorers. But the Islanders’ offense is far from scary.
More importantly, Bobrovsky has known periods of invincibility during his career. He was a disappointment in his first season in Florida, but in the three previous seasons, he totaled 21 shutouts. He boasts a career .917 save percentage.
Matt Barzal hit the boards hard after being stopped by Sergei Bobrovsky. Very slow to get up: pic.twitter.com/ZWbzYMKnua
— The Rat Trick (@FanSidedTheRat) August 4, 2020
Islanders’ Scoring is Overdue
Barzal, Nelson, and Lee finished one, two, and three for the Islanders in points this season. The trio combined for 65 goals and 147 points. In this series, they have combined for two points. Nelson has a goal and Barzal owns an assist. Lee is pointless, and only has five shots on goal.
While the Islanders expect, or at least hope, that their impact players will begin having an impact, they are comfortable scoring by committee. In the regular season, they only had two players who netted 20 or more goals, but boasted nine who found the net 10 or more times.
The Islanders have three players with three points in the series, and two of them are defensemen Ryan Pulock and Devon Toews. They have eight goals by six different players. They are most dangerous when four lines are going hard. Their offensive strategy is death by 1,000 cuts.
I’m a big fan of Anders Lee, but he needs to find another gear ASAP. He’s starting to look like a Nice Guy version of Milan Lucic. Slow, Lumbering guy who’s linemates leave in the dust. #isles
— Matt (@Spazemunky) August 5, 2020
Why the Islanders Will Win the series
Jean-Gabriel Pageau was born to play for Trotz and Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello. He’s the perfect symbol for how they want to play the game. He can check, kill penalties, win important faceoffs, and score tough goals at opportune times.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau was born to play playoff hockey.
— boyan (@BoyanVAntonov) August 1, 2020
The Islanders gave up three draft picks, including a first-rounder, to get Pageau before the trade deadline, and he’s been exactly the player they want him to be. The Islanders don’t have enough pure skill to win 5-4 games. They seek to win 2-1, and Trotz has assembled a team that can do that regularly. Pageau is the flag carrier
Pick: Islanders (-370)
Kevin Allen has covered most major events, including the Olympics, Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals and Stanley Cup Final. He covered the NHL for USA Today from 1986-2020, receiving the Lester Patrick Award in 2013 and was honored by the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2014 with the Elmer Ferguson Award.
source https://casinonewsblogger.com/panthers-odds-to-win-series-improve-from-750-to-320-after-game-3-win-vs-islanders/
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