PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – As the Pens clinched the MassMutual Division with a win Saturday and a little help from the Caps. It leaves either Boston or the Islanders as first round Stanley Cup playoff opponents.
Here is a look at the season matchups with both teams.
Boston (3-4-1 on season, 1-3 on road, 2-2 at home)
Most believe it's the best option for the Pens given the season record and past and recent struggles vs. Boston. They added Taylor Hall, defenseman Mike Reilly and havoc generator Curtis Lazar at the trade deadline. Bruins are 3-2 in their last 5 games.
Leading scorers
Brad Marchand 28 goals, 39 assists 67 points
Patrick Bergeron 23 goals, 25 assists 48 points
David Pastrnak 20 goals, 27 assists 47 points
David Krejci 8 goals, 33 assists 41 points
Best vs. Pens
Brad Marchand 6 goals, 5 assists 11 points
David Pastrnak 3 goals, 3 assists 6 points
Charlie McAvoy 6 assists 6 points
David Krejci 2 goals, 3 assists 5 points
Patrice Bergeron 3 goals, 2 assists 5 points
Tuuka Rask 2-0, 1.44 GA, .946 save %
Jaroslav Halak 2-1, 3.01 GA, .871 save %
Pens best vs. Boston
Sidney Crosby 2 goals, 6 assists 8 points
Jake Guentzel 4 goals, 3 assists 7 points
Kasperi Kapanen goal, 3 assists 4 points
Evgeni Malkin, Jason Zucker, Kris Letang, Brian Dumoulin all with 3 points
Tristan Jarry 2-2, 2.18 GA, .931 save %
Casey DeSmith 1-2, 3.08 GA, .901 save %
Last playoff meeting (Bruins swept Pens 4-0 in conference finals in 2013)
New York Islanders (6-2, 4-0 home, 2-2 road)
Are as impressive on home ice this year as the Pens (21-4-3), but 11-16 on the road. Barry Trotz's Islanders added a trio of veterans at the deadline, Kyle Palmiere and Travis Zajac from New Jersey and defenseman Braydon Coburn from Ottawa. Pens haven't played New York since May 29. Without captain Anders Lee since early March, the Islanders have just two wins in last five games against Buffalo and New Jersey.
Leading scorers
Matthew Barzal 16 goals, 27 assists 43 points
Josh Bailey 8 goals, 27 assists 35 points
Brock Nelson 18 goals, 15 assists 33 points
Jordan Eberle 16 goals, 17 assists 33 points
Nick Leddy 2 goals, 28 assists 30 points
Be
st vs. Pens
Matthew Barzal 3 goals, 3 assists 6 points
Brock Nelson 3 goals, 3 assists 6 points
Josh Bailey goal, 5 assists 6 points
Nick Leddy 6 assists 6 points
Jordan Eberle 4 goals 4 points
Semyon Varlamov 1-3, 2.86 GA, .897 save %
Ilya Sorokin 1-1, 2.78 GA, .862 save %
Pens vs. Islanders
Kris Letang 4 goals, 5 assists 9 points
Sidney Crosby 3 goals, 6 assists 9 points
Bryan Rust 5 goals, 3 assists 8 points
Jake Guentzel goal, 6 assists 7 points
Evgeni Malkin 2 goals, 4 assists 6 points
Tristan Jarry 5-1, 2.41 GA, .917 save %
Casey DeSmith 1-1, 2.21 GA, .924 save %
Last playoff meeting (2019, Islanders swept Pens in 1st round 4-0)
We will find out as early as Monday night who the opponent is and then, at some point, when the series starts.
