Islanders at Panthers
The visiting New York Islanders and Florida Panthers begin their first-round playoff series on Thursday in search of something neither team has seen in a long time: the second round. The Islanders last won a postseason series a staggering 23 years ago while the Atlantic Division champion Panthers' most recent visit to the second round came during their unlikely run to the Stanley Cup Final in 1996.
"I know our fan base is dying for it," New York captain John Tavares (team-leading 33 goals) said of ending the prolonged drought. "They've been itching for us to obviously get past the first round, get over that hump." Whether the club did its best to get over the hump at the end of the season is open to debate, with Rangers coach Alain Vigneault heaping criticism toward Islanders coach Jack Capuano - noting that the latter openly rested his players to avoid a date with white-hot Pittsburgh in favor of a series with Florida. The Panthers are pretty potent in their own right, setting franchise records in wins (47) and points (103). Future Hall of Famer Jaromir Jagr has tormented the Islanders like no other, recording 64 goals versus the club in his decorated career.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, CNBC, RSN, TVAS2, MSG-Plus (New York)
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (45-27-10): After missing last year's first-round loss to Washington, Travis Hamonic isn't about to let history repeat itself as the defenseman eyes a return to the ice on Thursday. "I'd be lying if I said there wasn't some deja vu there, certainly, but the prognosis was better than we originally anticipated," Hamonic told the team's website. While Hamonic is a game-time decision after missing his last six contests with a lower-body injury, goaltender Thomas Greiss has been confirmed to start after posting a career high in wins (23) - including a 23-save performance in a 3-2 victory over Florida on March 14.
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (47-26-9): Veteran goaltender Roberto Luongo, who was selected by New York with the fourth overall pick of the 1997 draft, turned aside 81-of-87 shots as Florida took two of three in the season series. "I'm glad we are at the point we are right now, but that being said, there is still a lot of work to be done," Luongo told the Miami Herald. "So right now, I don't really want to reflect on anything but (Thursday) night." Aleksander Barkov has benefited from the presence of Jagr, scoring a team-leading 28 goals - with two tallies and three assists coming in three games versus the Islanders this season.
OVERTIME
1. Florida D Eric Gudbranson (upper body) will return from a three-game absence to play on Thursday.
2. New York, which boasts the fourth-best penalty kill (84.5 percent) in the NHL, thwarted 5-of-6 short-handed opportunities in the season series versus Florida.
3. The teams won't have long to wait to play Game 2, as they will reconvene at BB&T Center on Friday.