The Islanders enter this season’s playoffs still motivated by last season’s run to the Eastern Conference finals.
Mathew Barzal said after Monday’s season finale in Boston that, "last year was heartbreaking so it’s a hungry group." The Islanders face the Penguins in the first round after being eliminated in six games by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Lightning last season.
"It gives you a taste of how hard it can be; it gives you a taste of how fun it can be," Cal Clutterbuck said after Wednesday’s practice at Northwell Health Ice Center in East Meadow. "When you come close like that, it changes your perception of the playoffs and it changes your perception of how hard it’s going to be.