The Boston Bruins and New York Islanders will go to battle in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The series will begin Saturday, May 29 at 8 PM EST at TD Garden as the B’s will have home-ice advantage with them originally being the third seed and the Isles being the fourth seed in the East.
Over the course of these two teams eight meetings during the regular season, the Isles had Boston’s number early on as they won the first five matchups. However, with the Isles losing captain and first-line left wing Anders Lee, things became difficult for the Islanders.
To make matters worse, the B’s added left wing Taylor Hall at the trade deadline and the games switched over from Nassau Coliseum on Long Island to TD Garden in Boston. Hall and home-ice advantage significantly helped the B’s against the Isles as they lost in overtime in the first game at TD Garden and then won the next three after acquiring Hall.
If the Black and Gold can add on to their most-recent success against the Islanders from the regular season in the playoffs, they should easily win this series.
Boston Bruins – New York Islanders Series Prediction:
Matt Hawkins
For the first time since 1983, the Bruins and Islanders find themselves against each other in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. That series saw the Isles victorious after six games as they eventually went on the beat the Edmonton Oilers for their fourth and most-recent Stanley Cup.
This series will probably end in the B’s favor however.
The Islanders are great defensively but still lack a true goal scorer. The B’s, on the other hand, have four guys in their top-six that have scored at least 30 goals in a season before. So, while the Isles may be able to shutdown one of Boston’s top two lines, they may not be able to shutdown the other. Furthermore, the B’s also have a third line that can also score. While the Islanders can roll out four “balanced” lines, so can the Bruins.
What this series is really going to come down to is home-ice advantage. The Isles are a much better team at home than on the road, and with the B’s having the privilege of playing four out of the possible seven games at home — including the first two games of the series — they have an incredible advantage over the Isles.
I think the B’s get off the a quick start against the Islanders and win the first two games of the series, then split the next four.
Prediction: Bruins in 6