The New York Islanders have always seemed to thrive as an underdog. So many times in their history, they’ve had to played that role in the postseason.
Here’s a little history lesson:
2019: The Isles are the underdog to the championship-riffed Penguins in the first round; they swept the series in four straight.
2013: Same as 2019, but took Pittsburgh to the limit, falling in six games.
1993: Longshots to the defending two-time champion Pens (a bit of a theme here) and comeback from down 3-2 to win the series in seven.
1975: The franchise’s first ever playoff series against their heavily-favorited crosstown rivals, the Rangers; won the series 2-1 on J.P. Parise’s goal 11 second in to overtime.
You can throw 1980 and 1983 in there if you want, when the team was not expected win going into the Stanley Cup Finals.
As you can see, the Isles being favorites in a playoff series is a rarity. But if and when the Isles do begin their qualifying round series against the Florida Panthers sometime in the beginning of August, that’s what they’re being tabbed as.
There was an article a few weeks ago — after the NHL announced its 24-team playoff plan — in The Athletic where NHL scouts and coaches picked who they they believed would win each qualifying series. Those who interviewed all picked the Islanders to win their series with Florida. And look, there‘s nothing wrong with people believing that they will come out on top. The Isles will be 100% healthy when the games do begin according to g.m. Lou Lamoriello, their defensive structure is still one of hardest to beat in the game, and they will have had a phenomenal coach in Barry Trotz having prepared them to expect anything after the long layoff due to the coronavirus pandemic.
But, honestly, being the underdog is what suits the Islanders best. They play better and work as the team being given no shot. It was that way when former captain John Tavares left them hanging to go sign with Toronto on the first day of free agency two years ago, and it still that way now.
“We’ve always kind of been an underdog,” Cal Clutterbuck said a few years back. “Even when we’ve gone through stretches where we proved to people that we shouldn’t be, we are still labeled that way. We are who we are and I think we’re very content with being quietly confident about what we’re able to do and trying to execute it.”
Clutterbuck is right — the Islanders are an underdog and always will be.
This postseason should be no different.