Islanders-Lightning, Knights-Canadiens in uncertain final 4
NEW YORK, June 12, (AP): If the teams left in the NHL playoffs are sick and tired of facing the same opponents over and over, they are in luck in the semifinals.
After exclusively divisional play this season and through the first two rounds, the hockey playoffs are down to a final four of teams that haven’t played each other all year. The New York Islanders face the Tampa Bay Lightning in one semifinal that’s a rematch of the 2020 Eastern Conference final, while the Vegas Golden Knights play the Montreal Canadiens in a playoff series for the first time.
After so much familiarity from seeing the same teams over and over, the final two rounds with the Stanley Cup on the line bring every element of the unknown.
“It’s such a different series in terms of the preparation,” Vegas general manager Kelly McCrimmon said. “Now with the Islanders and Tampa
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Bay, our own series with Montreal, it’s brand new. Starting from scratch.”
The league that has emphasized rivalries for decades limited play within four remade divisions for one season only because of the pandemic.
It allowed all 31 teams to complete a condensed, 56-game schedule with 16 making the playoffs. New York emerged from the East, Tampa Bay the Central, Vegas the West and Montreal the North. Players and coaches from these teams haven’t thought much about each other all season, let alone scout or prepare for them.
“Different season for everyone,” Canadiens coach Dominique Ducharme said. “Different style of play or different teams that you play often, but that’s part of the challenge for everyone right now.”
If Montreal-Vegas, which begins Monday night, goes the distance, the teams will face off more times during one playoff series than they have all-time in the regular season, because the Golden Knights began playing in 2017.
The Lightning and Islanders grinded out a six-game series nine months ago in the postseason bubble in Edmonton, Alberta, so there will be some familiarity when the puck drops Sunday afternoon in Tampa.
“It helps a little bit,” Islanders coach Barry Trotz said. “Most of our players played in that series, so they understand when we’re talking about certain trends or the way they play.”
Tampa Bay won that series last fall before beating Dallas and hoisting the Stanley Cup.