Breaking down Eastern Conference 1st-Round matchups

The Coaches Room is a regular feature throughout the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs by former NHL coaches and assistants who turn their critical gaze to the game and explain it through the lens of a teacher. Phil Housley and Mark Recchi will take turns providing insight.
In this edition, Recchi, a three-time Stanley Cup champion and Hockey Hall of Fame player who has been an assistant with the Pittsburgh Penguins and New Jersey Devils, breaks down all four Eastern Conference First Round matchups with thoughts on what he has seen so far.

The Carolina Hurricanes have earned their 3-1 lead on the New York Islanders in the best-of-7 Eastern Conference First Round, but this does not feel like a 3-1 series.
The difference is the Hurricanes have won the special teams game. That's it. That's why they can close it out in Game 5 at PNC Arena on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, SNE, SNO, SNP, TVAS, BSSO, MSG, MSGSN).
Carolina's power play has connected for five goals on 19 chances; two in Game 1, one in Game 2 and two more in Game 4. The Islanders did not score on the power play in any of those games and were outscored by a combined total of 11-6.
Do the math and the teams were tied 6-6 in even-strength scoring during those games.
The Islanders power play has one goal, and it came in their lone win, Game 2. The Hurricanes did not score a power-play goal in that game.
So while it doesn't feel like a 3-1 series, when you factor in the special teams, you see why it is.
The Islanders are a good 5-on-5 team. They can match the Hurricanes in the 5-on-5 game. They have a playoff-type team with their size and the way they play. But they can't beat them in a seven-game series if they lose the special teams battle as often as they have already.
The Islanders need a shoot-first mentality on the power play in Game 5. They have guys back there like Ryan Pulock who can bomb it pretty good and that might loosen things up.
The Hurricanes pressure all over on the penalty kill. They pressure hard. If the Islanders can get the puck up top, they have to have the mentality to shoot it right away. That might create the lucky bounce they need.
Here are some thoughts on the other three matchups:

New York Rangers vs. New Jersey Devils

Game 3 was huge for the Devils. They got a huge effort from their young goalie, Akira Schmid. Just a monster game for them and he came in and handled it. It put a lot of energy and momentum back on their side, and then in Game 4 on Monday, they just played a heck of a game.
The Devils skated. They were in the Rangers' faces. They were on top of pucks. There just wasn't a lot of room for the Rangers to create anything. The Devils were all over them.
Yes, that's partly the Devils playing great and partly the Rangers not looking near as good as they have. But you have to give the Devils credit for playing that type of game.
The Rangers can get back to how they played in Games 1 and 2, especially because they know they played that way in New Jersey, where they will be for Game 5 on Thursday (7:30 p.m. ET; ESPN2, SN360, TVAS2, MSGSN, MSG).
I'm sure Gerard Gallant and the Rangers coaching staff is talking about just getting back to the basics, getting back inside, getting traffic, shots on net, being a little dirtier and hungrier. They need to get that same mentality and energy they had in the first two games. They seem to have just lost it.
But it's not hard to get it back. The leaders in the room have to be the guys that step up and bring that energy and their speed back.
To do it, they're going to have to get pucks deep because the Devils are playing so sound through the neutral zone. They're going to have to chip pucks and go get them, grind it out. Get it below the goal line and create your energy that way.
Even when they got it down low in Game 4, the Devils would close it off really quick with five guys congested down there and supporting each other, giving them no room. If it went low to high, which it didn't do very often, the Rangers hardly had any good opportunities.

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

We know the Maple Leafs aren't just playing against the Lightning, that they're playing against their demons that they have to conquer. Their comeback win in Game 4 was great, but they won't conquer those demons until the series is over and they're moving on. That's the big picture. But what I like about the Maple Leafs is they've been really resilient.
After getting blitzed in Game 1, they came back and played a really good Game 2 at home. They go to Tampa Bay, they're down, but they come back.
That's what I love about them having Ryan O'Reilly and Luke Schenn, the guys who have been successful, who have won. It's nice to have those guys in the room and most times that helps. Sometimes it doesn't. But a guy like O'Reilly has been very successful and I'm sure he has a great voice in there, a calming influence.
They're just playing. And that's key.
In Game 3, the Maple Leafs were outplayed but they found a way. It's a great sign. That core group has been through a lot of adversity together and sometimes you have to go through that before you have some success, and it seems like right now they're figuring it out.
They have taken the next step, but the next step, the bigger step, is winning the fourth game and doing it in Game 5 at home Thursday (7 p.m. ET; TBS, CBC, SN, TVAS, BSSUN).
The Lightning can hang their hat on the fact that they've played well through four games. But to see them blow a 4-1 lead by giving up three goals in 6:20 in the third period was surprising. They've been through it. They know what it takes. And they still let it happen.
Do they miss Erik Cernak, who's injured? I'm sure they do. He's a big defenseman who plays well. But they're usually good at handling those situations and they didn't. I still have to give the Maple Leafs credit for sticking with it, a big sign that maybe they can get over their demons.
However, the last thing the Maple Leafs want to do is go back to Tampa Bay for Game 6. It's not a must-win Game 5, but they better win.

Florida Panthers vs. Boston Bruins

The Bruins are winning without Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci because they're playing Boston Bruins hockey. They're just finding ways to win, exactly what they've done all season.
Their structure is sound. They're playing hard. It's not like the Panthers are just letting them do what they want. I think this series is closer than 3-1. The Panthers have played hard, competed, but the Bruins are just doing what they do and goalie Linus Ullmark has been a difference.
For the Panthers, it might seem like a major challenge for coach Paul Maurice and their staff to get the team back up to play Game 5 at TD Garden on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, CBC, SN, TVAS, NESN, BSFL) and believe they have a chance in the series after losing two games at home to fall into a 3-1 hole. But they know there are a lot of good things that the team has done and that's what you show the players.
The Panthers have created opportunities. They've had a ton of chances against a team that is very stingy. They have to stay with it. They know they're working hard. But they can't give up the odd-man rushes they're giving up. That will kill them.
Smart and patient with the puck is the message I would send. Players have a tendency to try to do more than they're capable of when their team is down. The Panthers can't do that, because that's how the Bruins bite you. They don't open it up. They play a sound game and trust their structure.