Cal Clutterbuck and the Islanders are looking to jump out to a two-game lead in the series against the Panthers. (Getty)
Well, that was fun, wasn’t it?
The opening game of the Islanders and Panthers series was a back-and-forth affair that was just seconds away from OT and included a standout performance from New York star John Tavares.
So, what can we expect tonight? Hopefully more of the same.
The matchup is slated to get underway at 7:30 p.m. ET as the Islanders look to grab a two-game lead on the road. Read on for a look at the breakdown for tonight’s Game 2, including a breakdown of the game’s odds and live streaming options in case you won’t be in front of a TV for puck drop.
Date: Friday, April 15
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: BB&T Center, Sunrise, Florida
TV Channel: NHLN, RSN, TVA, MSG+, SunS
Live Stream: NHL Network for out-of-market viewers
Odds: Florida – 163 via OddsShark
Preview: The Florida Panthers really need to win tonight.
They were close on Thursday, but close doesn’t score goals and close won’t make a two-game hole on home ice feel any less painful if they can’t pull something off tonight.
The Panthers dominated for much of Game 1 against New York on Thursday night, but failed to hold three different one-goal leads en route to a 5-4 loss. So, how do they bounce back? Florida needs its top line – and its top players – to step up.
Aleksander Barkov, Jaromir Jagor and Jonathan Huberdeau had chances all night, but failed to put the puck in the back of the net. That, simply, can’t happen.
“We had a lot of opportunities to score, it just didn’t happen,” Jagr told NHL.com. “So forget about it, [Friday] is a different game. We made some mistakes, but offensively we had a lot of chances.”
Roberto Luongo is expected to get the start in net tonight for Florida after giving up five goals on 26 shots in Game 1.