After clinching a Stanly Cup playoff spot in their regular season finale back on Wednesday, the New York Islanders are ready to roll into Raleigh after three straight days of practice.
After clinching a Stanly Cup playoff spot in their regular season finale back on Wednesday, the New York Islanders are ready to roll into Raleigh after three straight days of practice.
"I think I can speak for everybody in here that we're pretty pumped to get things going," Islanders forward Bo Horvat told The Hockey News. "I'm sure it'll get more real when we get on the plane and get there and get settled.
"I just can't wait for tomorrow."
Horvat has not played in the playoffs since the 2019-20 season and just twice over his nine-year NHL career.
Puck drop for Game 1 against the Carolina Hurricanes is slated for 7 PM ET at PNC Arena. The game can be found on MSGSN.
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Horvat has not played in the playoffs since the 2019-20 season and just twice over his nine-year NHL career.
Although this is a veteran group, there are some nerves, but Horvat said it's more excitement than anything.
"I think a little bit, but I think mostly it's excitement," Horvat said. "You get to play in meaningful hockey games, kind of what we've been doing all the way down the stretch, and then finally get here. Now I just can't be more excited and can't wait for tomorrow."
The Islanders have a strong dynamic in the room, mostly consisting of hungry veterans who are salivating at the chance to play playoff games after missing a season ago.
Read more: Team Concept, Nothing New for the Islanders
"There's nothing better than playoff hockey," Zach Parise told THN. "Last year was a bit of a disappointment from that standpoint, so to find ourselves here a year later, it's great."
Zach's father, the late J.P. Parise, went on three playoff runs with the New York Islanders from 1974-1977, three straight conference semi-final defeats.
J.P. Parise put the Islanders on the postseason map, as his overtime tally 11 seconds into Game 3 sent the rival New York Rangers packing, giving the Islanders their first playoff series win in team history.
For Zach, it's special to have the opportunity to play in the playoffs with the Islanders, as his dad did.
"That's great. There's always those parallels you can draw between our careers and stuff, and so this is another one," the 38-year-old said.
"Hopefully we can make it a lot further than he did."
Parise has had a great career, but at 38, he's running out of time to raise a Stanley Cup.
Cal Clutterbuck, a 35-year-old veteran, has dealt with numerous injuries this season, playing in just 49 games after only playing in 59 a season ago.
His 2021-22 season officially came to a close on Trade Deadline Day, as he decided on season-ending shoulder surgery.
After suffering an upper-body injury on Jan. 19 against the Buffalo Sabres, the Islanders announced that Clutterbuck would be out indefinitely.
It seemed that the grizzled veteran may not find a way back this season, and with the number of injuries to different parts of his body, was his career in jeopardy?
Clutterbuck was not giving up that easily.
The 16-year NHL vet did return 20 games later and did play in the Islanders' final 15 games of the regular season. While that was tremendous to see, having the opportunity to play postseason hockey made it all worth it.
"This year was frustrating for me personally at certain times, but those things happen. And I don't know if I spoke this before, but the motivation for staying in shape and getting rehab and getting those injuries back is this, the chance to be healthy and ready to go for this moment, this time of year," Clutterbuck told THN. Really glad that the guys really played really well while I was out.
"They put us in a position to be able to get here, and when we obviously went right to the end and battled right to the end to try and get in so thrilled for the opportunity and happy that the guys were able to really battle through there."
Islanders captain Anders Lee did not get to experience the Islanders' 2021 Stanley Cup Playoff run after tearing his ACL in early March.
One could guess his excitement level.
"I'm so excited. This is great. Great to be back," Lee told THN. "Great to be back in the playoffs as a team here.
"It's fun to be in the mix here and being able to be on the ice."
THN did ask Lee about giving some of the older players in the room, like Parise and Clutterbuck, another shot at vying for a Stanley Cup.
"It's special for the whole group. We have a lot of guys who have had some phenomenal careers and still have things to accomplish," Lee said. "So we now have that opportunity to start something here, and we got a lot of work to do --starts in game one -- but let's just take it a day at a time and a game at a time and continue to give everything we have."
Although Mathew Barzal is just 25 and should have chances down the road to compete for a Stanley Cup, he's thrilled that he is healthy enough to return for playoff action.
"It's so exciting. I can't tell you how hard last year was just not playing in those big games and those big moments, and we want to be in the spotlight, and that's what the playoffs are, and we're excited," Barzal said.
Barzal missed the final 23 games of the regular season. He looks to rekindle his chemistry with Horvat, who he only played six games with before the injury.
"I think just practicing with him, it's been great," Horvat said. "Trying to get used to each other again, and get our habits and the feel of each other out of the way, especially these last three days. Hopefully, we'll pick up where we left off."
After three practice days, everyone just wants to get rolling in Raleigh.
"I think they're ready to play. I think they want to play," Lambert said. "I think they're tired of practicing and want to get into game action."
The Islanders will be on the ice Monday morning for an optional morning skate as we will provide all the updates to get you ready for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.