Just because the Islanders have some young players in key roles does not mean that they’re a team totally lacking postseason experience.
As team president Lou Lamoriello was building this squad over the summer, he knew they would need some veteran presence in the locker room to offset all the youth. So he brought in two Stanley Cup champions in Valtteri Filppula and Tom Kuhnhackl, along with wily winger Leo Komarov.
It’s added a depth to the group that has helped it stay even-keeled as the Isles swept the Penguins in the first round and will face the Hurricanes after their 4-3 double-overtime win over the Capitals on Wednesday.
“I think every team is always a little bit different, but I think we have a good group,” Filppula said recently, with the team getting Wednesday off as part of what would be a 10-day break between series. Game 1 of the second round is set for Friday at Barclays Center.
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“I think we’ve been playing real well the first series, the whole way pretty much,” Filppula said. “Didn’t matter what the score was. When we were down, we played well. When we were up, we played the same way. Kind of the same way we’ve been playing all year, so I think that helped us prepare for the playoffs real well.”
Filppula, 35, won a Stanley Cup with the Red Wings in 2008 and has a whopping 162 games of playoff experience. That is the seventh-most among active players and third-most among players still around this postseason, behind only the Sharks’ Joe Thornton and the Bruins’ Zdeno Chara, both with 166.
Lamoriello signed him to a one-year, $2.75 million deal, and more so than the 17 goals and 31 points during 72 regular-season games, his value is coming to the forefront now.
“At the end of the day, playoffs is about everyone raising their level a little bit and that kind of happens to me,” said Filppula who collected four assists in the first round. “I think it happens automatically, because you’re excited to be playing playoffs. You get a little more focused than you were during the regular season. I think it’s a good sign that we haven’t really had to talk about it. We played well first game, and then just kept going.”
Kuhnhackl’s value has increased even more, having played a marginal role during his 36 regular-season games. He has seemed like a totally rejuvenated player since the playoffs started, which isn’t a surprise considering he won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Penguins in 2016 and 2017.
Put that together with the success Trotz had winning his first Stanley Cup with the Capitals just a year ago, and the group demeanor isn’t all that surprising.
“One thing I can tell you, and I do have the experience now, you want it again,” Trotz said. “It’s sort of addicting. That’s why I think you see people win multiple times. For how long that trophy has been around, there’s not as many names on that trophy as you think. There’s a lot of repeat offenders on there. Because it’s an addicting type of thing. You want to do it again because you know you can.”
There are others in the room who have won, as well, like defensemen Nick Leddy and Johnny Boychuk — the latter out another two weeks or so (but not away from the team) with his lower-body injury suffered in Game 4 against the Penguins. Andrew Ladd, who won Stanley Cups with the Hurricanes (2006) and Blackhawks (2010), is also around a bit while he recovers from another knee injury set to keep him out until training camp.
With Trotz setting the tone behind the bench, and with a handful of veterans sprinkled through a mostly young lineup, the mix has thus far led to a preternatural postseason poise. Filppula said there hasn’t been too many young players coming up to him for advice, mostly because it seems like the collective feeling is one that is ready to get this long break over with and start the second round — no matter the opponent.
“So far, it’s been good,” Filppula said. “Now we’re just looking forward to the next round.”