Ben Shelley: Reviewing which players on the Panthers overperform against New York

It should be a fun, low scoring series. I really can't give a prediction ( although I hope Isles in 2 lol ). Defence wins in playoffs, so we should be ok, but this lay-off makes it a crap shoot

This year, define contender? Who knows how teams are going to be coming out of the break. A good coach can be the difference and Trotz is a good coach.

IMO, if you make the playoffs, you're a contender because longshots have won the cup. The Islanders wouldn't be a strong contender, but they could win based on how well they fair against many of the strong contenders. One example is Boston and Toronto. If the Islanders face Boston, they probably get swept. If the Leafs make the conference finals, the Islanders stand a great chance of making the finals.

How personnel and systems match up reigns supreme in playoff formats, especially Hockey, where coaches have less control than other sports where there is personnel specialized in playing offense OR defense.