For now, it seems everyone got what they wanted.
With back-to-back losses over the weekend — including a regular-season finale sans most of their regulars — the Islanders avoided the surging Penguins and instead will face the Panthers in their first-round playoff series beginning Thursday.
Panthers co-owner Doug Cifu, a Long Island native, was hoping his team wouldn’t have to face Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers.
“I guess the Rangers have a great, world-class goalie, so in a coin flip, I’d probably prefer the Islanders,” Cifu said last week on SiriusXM NHL Radio.
No rivalry currently exists between the Islanders and Panthers, but the teams share several connections, beginning with each team looking for its first playoff series win in at least two decades.