Forget the predictions, the picks and the stat and depth comparisons. Tonight, finally, it's just hockey.
The New York Islanders and Florida Panthers face off in Game 1 of their first-round series, with each team carrying the baggage of their franchise not having won a playoff series since the '90s.
Their series starts with an unusual back-to-back Games 1 and 2 tonight and Friday night. (Aside: Back in the day, this was how all playoff series began.) Here are some themes to ponder until we can start talking about what's actually happened in this series.