Wide World of Women

The New York Islanders and their fans had been feeling the pain of their centerpiece, John Tavares, suddenly jumping ship to Toronto after publicly stating that he would return to the Isles. However, the Isles, after a disappointing season, received a brand new coach in the form of Barry Trotz--the same coach who won the Stanley Cup with Washington. During both of Tavares' road games against the Isles, their fans chanted "We don't need you." As it turned out, they didn't. The Isles went toe-to-toe with the Capitals, and even though they fell short of the division crown, they finished in second place. The Penguins are coming off a failure to become the first team since the aforementioned Islanders (1980-83) to win three straight Stanley Cups, and their season hasn't been going well. At one point, Sidney Crosby and company actually found themselves in danger of missing the playoffs, but they bounced back and won games at the right time, giving them their 13th straight playoff appearance--the longest streak in the NHL. This is actually a hard one to pick; I actually left it up to the standings and their finish to determine who will win this series. I figured Isles/Pens would happen, and I decided that home ice would determine who wins.

Prediction: Isles in seven

#1

Islanders 4, Penguins 3 (OT)

Josh Bailey scores 4:39 into OT to give the Isles the victory in Game One.

Islanders 3, Penguins 1

Isles dominate Pens again to take a 2-0 series lead.

Islanders 4, Penguins 1

Isles follow Pittsburgh's goal with two in a 1:02 span and never look back; take commanding 3-0 series lead.

Islanders 3, Penguins 1

Islanders complete the sweep and oust Crosby and Company; first NYI series sweep since the 1983 Final.