Playoff Gameday: Islanders Game 2 Lines and Notes vs. Panthers

There’s still a question of whether or not Johnny Boychuk will be in the lineup. The question of who will take that spot in case Boychuk cannot play is a little bit clearer.

Islanders head coach Barry Trotz said on Monday that Andy Greene and Noah Dobson will take warmups today. A decision will be made from there, but Trotz is confident in the choices that he has.

“I’m comfortable with our 10 defensemen right now,” Trotz said.

Shortened Series Makes Game 2 All That More Important for Islanders | NYHN+

The Islanders will try to recapture the success they had in Saturday’s Game 1 win over the Florida Panthers. The Islanders clamped down on a potent Florida offense and limited their shots to just 28.

The shortened series means that the desperation level will be high from Florida, which the Islanders fully expect today.

“They’re going to come with a different level,” Anders Lee said. “We’re going to have to do the same. The opportunity we have in Game 2 is crucial, especially in a short series.”

There will be no changes to the Islanders lineup, except for a potential replacement for Boychuk. However, the Isles top line of Lee, Mat Barzal and Jordan Eberle are feeling the need to contribute more offensively.

The trio was limited in the noise they made in Game 1.

“I think we were quiet,” Lee said. “Not a lot for, or against. It was one of those games where we couldn’t seem to get anything going, anything sustained. Our rushes were a little bit one and done. Give credit to the other line, they stifled us a little bit. We’ll try to create a little more, hold onto the puck.”

🎥 Barry Trotz addresses the media following today's practice in Toronto. pic.twitter.com/AscQD7i2Zi

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) August 3, 2020

Projected Islanders Lines:

Anders Lee — Mat Barzal — Jordan Eberle

Anthony Beauvillier — Brock Nelson — Josh Bailey

Tom Kuhnhackl — Jean-Gabriel Pageau — Derick Brassard

Matt Martin — Casey Cizikas — Cal Clutterbuck

Defense:

Adam Pelech — Ryan Pulock

Devon Toews — Scott Mayfield

Nick Leddy — Andy Greene

Goalies:

Semyon Varlamov

Thomas Greiss

Florida Panthers:

There could be lineup changes coming to Florida for Game 2, Joel Quenneville hinted at on Monday during a conference call with reporters. The short series has forced the Panthers to move into desperation mode with the possibility of being on the brink of elimination.

Still, the Panthers remain confident that they can turn things around.

“There’s still a strong belief in this group that we’re going to win this series,” Florida forward Mike Hoffman said. “There’s still a lot of hockey to be played. I think we can get to the net a little more and make it harder on them to defend.”

Projected Panthers Lines:

Jonathan Huberdeau — Sasha Barkov — Evgenii Dadonov

Aleksi Saarela — Erik Haula — Mike Hoffman

Frank Vatrano — Brian Boyle — Brett Connolly

Mark Pysyk — Noel Acciari — Colton Sceviour

Defense:

MacKenzie Weegar — Aaron Ekblad

Riley Stillman — Anton Stralman

Keith Yandle — Mike Matheson

Goalies:

Sergei Bobrovsky

Chris Driedger

How To Watch:

Locally the game will air on MSG+ and MSG GO, and nationally on NBCSN. For those outside the New York market, the game can also be streamed on NHL.TV. On the radio dial, the game will air on 98.7 FM ESPN New York, 88.7 FM WRHU and 103.9 FM LI News Radio.