Anders Lee has often showed his willingness to put the group in front of the individual, but it was only natural to feel the sting three years ago. There were the Islanders, going to the playoffs, and there was Lee, in a cast he earned in the 80th game of the regular season.
“It stung pretty hard,” he said Wednesday, healthy and ready for Game 1 against the Penguins at NYCB Live's Nassau Coliseum, and much removed from the broken leg that cost him the Isles' 2016 playoff run. This will be his first time back in the playoffs since that year, his first time doing it as captain, and only his sixth playoff game.