The Wraparound is your daily look at the 2021 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. We’ll break down the NHL playoff games today with the all-important television and live streaming information included.
• The Canadiens look to be the first team to clinch a spot in the Stanley Cup Semifinals. Meanwhile, the Bruins and Islanders play Game 5 Monday night.
• Want to catch up on all of Sunday night’s playoff action? Check out the NHL Playoff Buzzer.
When the Islanders lost team captain Anders Lee for the remainder of the season due to a knee injury it was pretty obvious that GM Lou Lamoriello was going to have to make some sort of a trade to help fill that void. Kyle Palmieri, then playing for the Devils, seemed to be a pretty good target given how well he seemed to fit the Islanders and their style of play.
Good defensively? Check.
A goal scorer that could replace Lee’s production and be an upgrade to the lineup? Check again.
The type of return that came with a relatively low risk and a low price to acquire? Check.
[NBC 2021 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF HUB]
After a slow start with the Islanders to close out the regular season (he scored just two goals in 17 games) he has started to find his place in the playoffs and give the Islanders everything they could have hoped for and expected. He is a big reason the Islanders enter Game 5 of their Second Round series against the Bruins on Monday (6:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN) with a chance to take a 3-2 series lead and move one win closer to a second straight trip to the semifinals.
Palmieri enters play on Monday with a team-leading five goals this postseason, including a game-winning goal in overtime, while the Islanders are outscoring teams by a 7-2 margin with him on the ice during 5-on-5 play.
All five of his goals are also even-strength goals, while the Islanders are 4-0 in the games in which he has scored a goal. Each of his goals have either tied the game for the Islanders or given them the lead in their game.
He’s been productive, and scored goals in the biggest moments. Well worth the price of a first-round draft pick.
During his time as Islanders general manager Lamoriello has not really made major changes to the team’s roster. The core of the team is the same as it was prior to his arrival and a lot of the players making the biggest impacts were already in place. But he has had made a significant trade deadline acquisition in each of the past two years, acquiring Palmieri this year and Jean-Gabriel Pageau (and then re-signing him to a long-term contract extension) a year ago. Those two forwards have combined for eight of the Islanders’ 32 goals so far this postseason and are two of the top-three point producers on the team.
Tough to beat that level of contribution.
[NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs 2021 Second Round schedule, TV info]
MONDAY’S NHL PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
Game 5: Bruins at Islanders, 6:30 p.m. ET (Series tied 2-2) - NBCSN (livestream)
Game 4: Jets at Canadiens, 8 p.m. ET (MTL leads 3-0) - NHL Network (livestream)
TUESDAY’S NHL PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
Game 5: Lightning at Hurricanes, 6:30 p.m. ET (TB leads 3-1) - NBCSN (livestream)
Game 5: Avalanche at Golden Knights, 9 p.m. ET (Series 2-2) - NBCSN (livestream)
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Adam Gretz is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @AGretz.