Islanders center Jean-Gabriel Pageau, right, watches the puck slip by Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask for a goal by Islanders left wing Anthony Beauvillier in the first period of Game 1 during an NHL second-round playoff series Saturday in Boston. Credit: AP/Elise Amendola
The Islanders’ putative top line does not have to be perfect – if you’ll pardon the expression – to match its Bruins counterpart for the Islanders to have a chance in the teams’ second-round playoff series.
They are "not built that way" in the hockey vernacular. Rather, they rely on balance and depth among their four lines, which can be a good thing.