Either the Islanders or the Bruins will have a 2-1 series lead after Thursday night’s Game 3 as Nassau Coliseum hosts a season-high 12,000 fans.
Attendance figure aside, that’s not necessarily earth-shaking news. But it is indicative this second-round series, predicted to be a close one with teams that play similarly hard-edged, defensively-structured games supported by superior goaltending, is going as expected.
No surprises remain after meeting eight times in the regular season.
"I think it’s gone pretty well the way we thought it would," Matt Martin said after Wednesday’s practice at Northwell Health Ice Center in East Meadow.