So much is different in this NHL postseason, being played without fans as teams are sequestered in one of two hub city, quarantined bubbles.
And so much is the same. Namely, the feeling of winning.
The Islanders were off on Saturday after eliminating the Panthers from their best-of-five qualifying series with a 5-1 win in Friday’s Game 4 to earn a berth in the 16-team playoffs. The Islanders will face the winner of Sunday’s Bruins-Capitals round-robin game at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto in the best-of-seven first round, likely starting either Tuesday or Wednesday.
It will be a much shorter break than the 10 days off the Islanders had last year between sweeping the Penguins in the first round and being swept by the Hurricanes in the second round.