Penguins Versus Islanders: First Round Preview

It will be music to the ears of Pittsburgh Penguins fans seeing their team draw the New York Islanders in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, given their record against the Isles this season. However, a victory is by no means guaranteed against a well-disciplined Islanders team with a Vezina trophy candidate in goal.

The Penguins finished the year in first place in their division with an impressive overall record of 37-16-3 for a total of 77 points, booking them a date with the Islanders who finished fourth in the division with an overall record of 32-17-7, six points back of the Pens with 71 points. The good news for the Penguins is that they have faired very well against the Isles this year with a 6-2-0 record in eight meetings between the two sides. The Pens finished the year on a high note and will look to build off the momentum gained to drive them past the Isles, who finished the year in poor form, with just three wins in their final 10 games.

However, despite asserting dominance throughout this season, the last time these two teams met in the playoffs it was the Islanders who dominated the Penguins with a four-game sweep, something that will likely still be on the minds of a few Pens players headed into this series. There will be several key factors that will come into play throughout this series for the Penguins that could potentially make or break their success in the playoffs.

Latest Penguins News

• Grading NHL Free Agent Summer – Metropolitan Division Pt II
• Norris Trophy Winner Erik Karlsson Traded To Penguins
• 2023 NHL Offseason: Five Remaining Names To Watch This Summer
• NHL Rumors: Pittsburgh Penguins, Chicago Blackhawks, Winnipeg Jets
• Penguins Re-Sign Tristan Jarry and Sign Ryan Graves

Goaltending

The goalies in this series were two of the best in the division this year, and this head-to-head matchup could come down to which goalie outplays the other. Both netminders, however, finished the season slightly banged up but are likely to start Game One of the playoffs.

For the Pens, Tristan Jarry has been stellar in goal after a rough start to the season but finished the year day-to-day with an upper-body injury. The injury does not appear to be serious, but should still be something to keep an eye on. The 26-year-old appeared in 39 games for the Pens this year, finishing the season with a 25-9-3 record, a 2.75 goals-against average, a .909 save percentage, and two shutouts. Jarry was a busy goaltender this year, facing the fifth-highest shots this year at 1,100. Inexperience is the biggest concern surrounding the Canadian-netminder who has only appeared in one career playoff game, a loss which came in last year’s postseason where he allowed one goal. Throughout his minor league career, Jarry appeared in six playoff games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, registering just one victory. The Surrey, BC-native will look to build off his impressive season in goal for the Pens and start his playoff resume.