Underdog Islanders Relishing Opportunity To Make Noise In Playoffs: 'We Believe We Can Beat Anybody'

The Islanders are used to being underdogs and find themselves with that nickname yet against as they prepare for Carolina.

EAST MEADOW, NY -- Whether it's pre-season predictions, mid-season rankings, or the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the New York Islanders are always viewed as underdogs.

That's just how it is for the players on Long Island. 

As they prepare for their first-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes, no one is giving them a fight chance. 

"I'm sure if you asked around who the favorite is to win this series, everybody's gonna say the Hurricanes," Islanders head coach Patrick Roy said. "They're gonna say the only chance the Islanders have is if their goalie outplays the goalie, but I do believe that our team has been playing very well. We're probably one of the better teams in the league right now in the last 10 games (8-1-1).

"So, I do have a lot of belief in what we're doing and a lot of trust in what we're doing. So, I think we just need to continue to play the same way we've been playing, and good things might happen to us."

For Islanders captain Anders Lee, who just welcomed a baby boy on Wednesday, they're used to being slept on.

"I don't know when we've not been the underdog. I wouldn't say we pay attention to that stuff at all," Lee said. "I think we just feel it in the sense of just knowing what goes on out there. Obviously, the team that they've had this year and how they performed and the way we're coming in, it makes sense and all that stuff. But, at the end of the day, we still got to play a series and have a good go at it. And we feel great about ourselves right now."

The Islanders went through a lot this season to make the playoffs. 

They had struggles in the first half, with injuries to seemingly every defenseman. 

Then, there was a coaching change, going from Lane Lambert to Patrick Roy.

They had a six-game winning streak, having them feeling incredibly good at where they were at, followed by a six-game skid which had them feeling anything but stellar.

But through the adversity, they powered through.

"We went through a lot of different situations this year, but, I think, this group has been together for quite a while, and throughout the years, we've gone through a lot," Ryan Pulock told The Hockey News. "We've had a lot of highs and lows, and I think the important thing about this group is we've always come together and found a way. We found a way this year, after the tough stretches, to get ourselves back here and give ourselves a chance. 

"I think the most important thing is getting in the playoffs and then from there, you regroup, and then you get ready to go."

As Lee said, being an underdog is just part of being an Islander.

"I think we strive in that underdog role," Pulock said. "I don't know what the betting odds are, but I'm sure they're not in our favor. But that's the fun of it. Going in there tomorrow, I think everyone in this group believes in what we do here, what we're capable of, and we're going in there tomorrow to give it our all and and start this series right."

Mathew Barzal, the Islanders' All-Star this season, knows how tough this series is going to be. 

"People are gonna say we're the underdogs just because of where we finished or whatnot and how good Carolina is," Barzal told THN. "As any team in the playoffs, we think we can beat anybody, and yeah, it's gonna be a heck of a series. 

"Carolina is a heck of a team, and I think they're solid everywhere. So it's just going to be a tough series. Both teams are going to have to put on their work boots, and it's going to be a battle."

The Islanders battle the Carolina Hurricanes for Game 1 of the first round on Saturday night at 5 PM ET.