The New York Islanders find themselves in a position of being careful what they wish for, heading into Game 1 of their Eastern Conference playoff series against the Florida Panthers on Thursday night at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla.
Islanders vs. Panthers 2016 live stream: Time, TV schedule and how to watch NHL playoffs online
Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports
The Islanders went into their regular season finale with their fate and playoff matchup in their own hands. A win over Philadelphia would have given New York a matchup with the Pittsburgh Penguins, red hot heading into the postseason with wins in 14 of 15 games before dropping their finale.
A loss by the Islanders meant a matchup with the division champion Panthers, which is exactly what happened after the Isles sat some key players in the finale. However, New York downplayed that they had a preference of opponent.
“You can’t really choose,” forward Cal Clutterbuck told the Associated Press on Sunday. “It’s a slippery slope when you start choosing opponents and looking ahead. I think it’s important to stay in today and do what’s best for the team. [Resting players] was what was best for us today. Now we’ve got Florida and tomorrow morning we’ll start thinking about that.”
The Panthers were no slouches themselves, finishing atop the Atlantic Division with 103 points, including wins in seven of their final nine games.
Florida won two of their three regular season matchups against the Islanders, splitting two games in New York and winning in a shootout at home.
Islanders vs. Panthers Game 1 coverage
8 p.m. ET | Game 1, Eastern Conference Round 1
BB&T Center | Sunrise, Fla.
Local: Fox Sports Florida, MSG+ | National: CNBC, SN
Live stream at NBC Sports Live Extra
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