Five Takeaways From the Islanders Series Over the Panthers

For the second-consecutive year, the New York Islanders are headed to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Isles punched their ticket to the big dance with a 3-1 series win in their best-of-five Stanley Cup Qualifier victory over the Florida Panthers.

It was a full-team effort at every position, committed to playing Islander hockey and a collective focus on the sole task at hand. Following a loss in Game 3, but still armed with a 2-1 series lead, the Isles were determined to finish business with a commanding 5-1 win in Game 4 on Friday.
"There was only one end goal. It was to be the better team today and win a hockey game," Head Coach Barry Trotz said. "There was no me in anybody, it was all we. Everybody was pulling on the rope. I didn't have any passengers and our bench would not allow anybody to be a passenger, which is a great sign."
Here are five takeaways that led to the Isles success:

COLLECTIVE CONTRIBUTIONS:

Through four games, the Isles outscored the Panthers 13-7 and in true Islander fashion, they received contributions from the entirety of their lineup to create success.
The Isles scoring was generated by seven different players (Anthony Beauvillier, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Brock Nelson, Jordan Eberle, Matt Martin, Ryan Pulock and Mathew Barzal), while the Isles had a total of 13 players make it on the scoresheet.
"Things that I was happy with; contribution from all of our lines," Trotz said following Game 2. "When we get those contributions throughout our lineup, that's what we need."
Beauvillier led the Isles in scoring with his five points (3G, 2A) throughout the series. Beauvillier and Pageau tied for the team-high of three goals, while Josh Bailey and Devon Toews each recorded the most assists among the squad with four.

DEFENSIVE DEPTH

Coming into the series, the Islanders knew how fortunate they were to bring 10 fully-capable defensemen into the hub city and be tasked with the difficult decision of only dressing six per game. However, the Isles relied heavily on that depth as the series unfolded. They opted to dress Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock, Devon Toews and Scott Mayfield and Nick Leddy and Johnny Boychuk in the opening match.
In Game 1, Boychuk was on the receiving end of a check to the head from Florida's Mike Matheson. Boychuk left the game early in the second period and did not return for the remainder of the series.
In his place, the Isles inserted veteran and mid-season acquisition, Andy Greene, into the lineup alongside Leddy. Greene excelled in the series and was a factor in two of the Isles goals. He finished the series with one assist and was plus-two, while averaging 18:00 TOI (1:59 shorthanded).
Pulock (1G, 3A) and Toews (four assists) led the Isles d-men in scoring with four points each. Pulock also made a critical goal-line save that could have altered the course of Game 4. The Isles were up 3-1 in the second period, but with Aleksander Barkov staring down a wide-open, a diving, last-ditch effort from Pulock miraculously deflected the puck over the Isles' net and kept the Panthers at a two-goal deficit.

"It was one of those defining moments and you get a break there," Trotz said. "That was a critical moment and a great play by Pully to save a goal. That was a four-by-six open net and he was able to get his stick in there. Those are the plays, the commitment, that extra effort that wins you those inches. We had a lot of that."
Pelech also showed no ill-effects of his long layoff, as the defenseman logged a team-high 80:51 TOI (20:13 per game) during the series. Pelech also blocked a team-high 10 shots.
When it was all said and done, the Isles team defense limited the Panthers to seven total goals in the series (1.75 per game) and only three at five-on-five.

POWER PLAY SUCCESS

During the regular season, the Isles had the fewest power play opportunities in the entire league with 168 and were ranked 24th with a 17.3% conversion rate.
In the postseason, the Isles took huge strides on the man advantage. The Isles power play finished the series going 4-for-16 (25%) and they scored at least one power-play goal in each of their wins. One of the Isles power-play goals was a game-winner and two were insurance goals.
Beauvillier, Eberle, Nelson and Pulock all scored on the man advantage.
"In playoff games when things are really tight you need your special teams to win you games and so far we've been on top of that," Eberle said.

GRAND GOALTENDING

Trotz felt he couldn't make a wrong decision when choosing between Semyon Varlamov or Thomas Greiss. During the regular season, the duo alternated between the pipes through the first 33 games and finished the season with comparable stats.
"I have the luxury of using both," Trotz said ahead of the series. "I have the luxury of starting either one in Game 1…I could throw a dart at a dartboard and I'd feel comfortable."
Throughout the Florida series, the Isles rolled with Varlamov who only relinquished seven goals, three of which were scored in five-on-five play. Varlamov bested his fellow countryman, Sergei Bobrosvky, on the opposing side as he posted a 3-1 record, made 96 saves for a 1.76 GAA, and a .932 SV%.

BEAUVILLIER-NELSON-BAILEY LINE

The Isles reunited the line of Beauvillier-Nelson-Bailey to suit up against the Panthers. The trio combined for 12 points (5G, 7A) and recorded at least one point in each game of the series.
The line saw a lot of head-to-head action against the Panthers' top duo of Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov. The line also stayed intact on one of the Isles two power-play units and generated plenty of offense with half of their combined points (2G, 4A) coming from the man advantage.

Nelson also took a team-high 58 draws from and posted a faceoff win percentage of 43.1%.
Trotz praised the line for their consistency and generating a promising amount of momentum throughout the series.
The Isles still await to find out who their opponent will be in the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
"We just punched our ticket to the dance," Barzal said. "It's just starting now. The intensity is only going to ramp up and this group is going to be ready to go."