Islanders not worried they finished off Penguins too quickly
The New York Islanders doesn’t seem to be worried that they finished off the Pittsburgh Penguins too fast.
After completing a four-game sweep of the Penguins on April 16, the Islanders will begin their second-round series with Carolina on Friday night.
The 10-day break between games is tied for the third-longest in NHL history.
The Montreal Canadiens had to wait 13 days before facing the Seattle Metropolitans in the 1919 Stanley Cup Final.
The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim had to wait 11 days between the Western Conference finals and Stanley Cup Final against New Jersey in 2003.
The Devils beat the Ducks in seven games in 2003. In 1919, the finals were canceled after five games due to a flu epidemic.
The Islanders had three days off during their layoff, including the two days immediately following a 3-1 win over the Penguins in Game 4. Otherwise, they’ve practiced every day, including an intrasquad scrimmage on Tuesday.
“We’re trying everything we can, other than playing an exhibition game against someone,” Islanders coach Barry Trotz told NHL.com. “Trust me, we’re fresh. We’ll get the rust off. It may take a little bit, but we haven’t had game action for a bit. That will come. That’s not an issue. We’re going to be enthused. It’s grueling. The less games you can play, there’s a benefit to it.”
Jonathan Bombulie is the TribLive assistant sports editor. A Greensburg native, he was a hockey reporter for two decades, covering the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for 17 seasons before joining the Trib in 2015 and covering the Penguins for four seasons, including Stanley Cup championships in 2016-17. He can be reached at jbombulie@triblive.com.
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