| 2019-20 Regular Season Record | % Games Won of Total GP | |
| New York Islanders | 35-23-10 (68 GP) | .588 |
| Florida Panthers | 35-26-6 (69 GP) | .565 |
Barring extenuating circumstances, the New York Islanders and Florida Panthers are set to play one-another in a best-of-5 play-in series to determine who will face the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs (what we’re referring to as the COVID Cup).
The Islanders swept the regular season series against the Panthers, three games to none, as they outscored Florida 8-4. In their last four meetings, New York is undefeated versus Florida, with two wins coming by way of shootout. Since these last two teams met, the Islanders acquired Jean-Gabriel Pageau from the Ottawa Senators and Andy Greene from the New Jersey Devils, and the Panthers traded away Vincent Trocheck.
Between the Islanders and the Panthers, offensive and defensive strengths nearly mirror each other. Offensively, the Panthers make up for where New York lacks, and the Islanders are defensively far stronger than Florida.
| New York Islanders | Florida Panthers | |
| Goals For | 2.78 (22nd) | 3.3 (6th) |
| Shots on Goal | 29.7 (28th) | 32.7 (7th) |
| Power Play % | 17.3 (24th) | 21.1 (12th) |
| New York Islanders | Florida Panthers | |
| Goals Allowed | 2.79 (9th) | 3.25 (T28th ) |
| Penalty Kill | 80.7 (15th) | 78.5 (20th) |
Florida was among the top-8 teams in successful power play conversions, but the Islanders weren’t far behind in 15th. Interestingly, both the Panthers and the Islanders rank among the best of the best when it comes to preventing power play goals against when on the road, with Florida allowing just 21 in 99 times shorthanded, and the Islanders having allowed just 16 in 85 short-handed situations (ESPN). The New York Islanders allowed just one short-handed goal in 33 efforts away from home.
Although neither team will be playing in their home arena due to playoff modifications, for comparisons sake, the Panthers are the stronger ‘away’ team. Florida posted an 18-12-4 record on the road, and compared to the Isles 15-14-4 road record, one could argue the Cats have the upper hand. However, crowd noise should not play a factor as the games will be played in essentially empty arenas, so it will be interesting to see how the ‘neutral’ site set up proves to benefit one team more than the other.
Game 1 of the best-of-5 series will take place Saturday August 1st at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. Game 2 will take place Tuesday August 4th, and Game 3 will take place Wednesday August 5th, 2020. If necessary, Game 4 will be held Friday August 7th, and Game 5, Sunday August 9th.
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References:
ESPN.com. (2020). 2019-20 NHL Hockey Stats and League Leaders – Special Teams. Retrieved from http://www.espn.com/nhl/statistics/team/_/stat/special-teams/sort/powerPlayGoalsAgainst/split/34.
mcubed. (2020). NHL: Series Records : New York Islanders against Florida Panthers. Retrieved from http://mcubed.net/nhl/nyi/fla.shtml.
TheScore. (2020). Florida Panthers News & Stats. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/teams/13.
TheScore. (2020). New York Islanders News & Stats. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/teams/7.
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