New York Islanders: A 2021 Playoff Preview

The Islanders sit atop the East Divison, tied with the Washington Capitals at 54 points. While it is mathematically possible that they could fall out of the playoffs, it seems they are almost locked in for the postseason. Ever since Barry Trotz came into the organization, he has transformed the franchise by adopting a defensive style of play that has frustrated top teams in the East. His record with the club is 108-60 and is considered by many to be one of the best coaches in the league. The players have all bought into what he's been teaching and it shows from their lack of mistakes and hard work in their game. Is it finally time for the Islanders to make a deep run?

Barzal has been leading the team in offensive production with 34 points in 39 games. This team is not built on stars or amazing plays-just hard, high-intensity playoff hockey. I think there is a very good chance that this team will be the one coming out of the East. Recently, Anders Lee, the captain, was injured for the rest of the season with a knee injury. This stung as Lee embodies what it means to be an Islander. He has grit, skill, and great defensive abilities. This is what they build their team around. To make up for the loss of Lee, the Islanders went out before the trade deadline and acquired Kyle Palmeri and Travis Zajac, two proven defensive veterans with nice scoring touches. This bolsters the Islanders' offense and defensive playstyles.

"What could go wrong in the playoffs?", you might ask. It's a pretty simple answer: their division. The Mass Mutual East is by far the toughest division in the league. You have the defending Stanley Cup champs, Tampa Bay, the back-to-back Stanley Cup winners, the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the Washington Capitals who also recently won a cup. This is a very hard division and it takes a lot out of a team to go through series like these against tough opponents. My only concern is if the Islanders' offense dries up. They are going to need to put up more goals. You can only contain Steven Stamkos, Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin for so long. Eventually, they will breakthrough. Luckily for the Islanders, both of their goalies have been outstanding with Varlamov having a 2.17 GA and a .922 save percentage. Not to mention, they have a very solid backup in Ilya Sorokin with almost identical stats to Varlamov. Outstanding defense, great goaltending, and a solid offense bode well for the playoffs.

Our expectations for the Islanders should be to win the Stanley Cup. They have a few aging players on the roster and in a few more years, this will likely not be the same Islanders team we see now. They added even more depth with the additions of Zajac and Palmeri to go all in this year. This is a battle-tested team that has made the playoffs before and knows how to play playoff hockey. I could very well see the New York Islanders becoming the next Stanley Cup Champions.