After coaching the New York Islanders to securing a wild card spot in this year’s Stanley Cup play offs, Jack Capuano took his team to face this year’s Atlantic division winners, the Florida Panthers.
Their previous meetings, for their three matches during the regular season, the Panthers had taken the first two, helping them to their 47-26-9 season. The Islanders beat the Panthers in the third game 3-2, with their regular season ending 45-27-10. 
Thomas Greiss made his play off debut, in goal for the Islanders but before the first two minutes of play were over, Dmitry Kulikov cleared the puck from deep in the Panthers zone all the way down to Jiri Hudler on the Islanders blue line. Hudler took the puck through, and despite coming under pressure from Calvin De Haan and Jonny Boychuk, Hudler’s pass through to Teddy Purcell saw him flick the puck in to the net, and put the home team in an early lead.
As play continued, Boychuk found himself against the boards, scrabbling for the puck with Hudler when Ryan Strome came in and managed to dig the puck out to centre ice. The puck was picked up by Brock Nelson, who found himself with all the space he needed to line up a wrist shot and life the puck over Roberto Luonguo’s leg, and even the score.
A small altercation between Jonathan Huberdeau and Cal Clutterbuck, the Islanders were given a penalty.
There was still plenty of time in the first, and as time continued on their power play, the Panthers found themselves in the Islanders area. Reilly Smith passed the puck back to Brian Campbell, at the point. A quick touch to stop the puck, and then Campbell wound up a huge strike, that sent the puck flying towards the net, where a quick tip in by Jussi Jokinen once again putting the Panthers in the lead.
Obviously the Islanders had a problem with this, and while Erik Gudbranson was sitting a penalty for hooking Kyle Okposo they took the chance to go on the offensive.
It started, with Nick Leddy’s pass to John Tavares, who took the puck all the way down the ice, dancing between the Panthers defence. A quick knock to Frans Nielsen and his flick is what finished it, managing to make the score a draw heading in to the first break.
The second period scoring started even quicker than it had in the first, Nick Bjugstad winning a face off in front of the New York goal, knocking it back to Jokinen, who pushed it further back to Alex Petrovic. Petrovic’s shot went wide, and bounced back off the boards behind the goal. The rebound was picked up by Smith, who managed to get the past both Thomas Hickey and Greiss.
No penalties in the second period, meant that neither team got on an advantage, and it took almost the whole period before the Islanders managed to respond to the Panthers goal, but they managed it with just over twenty seconds left in the period.
Frans Neilson had the puck behind the Panthers goal, and managed to knock it out to Okposo. A long pass through traffic, and the crease, ended on the waiting stick of Tavares, who, with a quick tap put it past the outstretched skate of the net minder, once again taking the game to a break at a tie.
A slightly slower start to the third, meant it took just over two and a half minutes for the next goal to be scored, and for the first time in the game the Islanders managed to take the lead.
Campbell took the puck behind his own goal, and as he came round the corner tried to clear it up the wing. Tavares managed to steal the puck from the end of Campbell’s stick, and delivered right on to Okposo’s. A quick wrist shot, had the away fans cheering.
The Islanders kept the momentum going, and minutes later Travis Hamonic passed to Alan Quine, who went flying down the wing. Quine’s shot was knocked away by Luongo, but Strome was there to pick up the rebound, and managed to stretch the Islanders lead to two.
It took less than a minute for the Panthers to strike back, a pass from Bjugstad on the centre line, to Jokinen on the blue line, was sent on to Smith, who controlled it well, taking the puck out towards the corner until he got the angle he wanted and managed to send it up over Greiss’ shoulder and in to the top corner of the goal.
Despite a few more chances, neither team managed to get one past another, and the game ended 5-4 to the Islanders.
Greiss’ first play off game, was not only a victory for the team, but Griess himself stopped forty two shots, a decent day’s work by anyone’s standards.
With less than a days rest, these two teams will meet to do it all again, will the Panthers be able to bite back, or will the Islanders make it a 2-0 series before heading back to New York?
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