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Posted at 12:30 PM EST. 

7:30 PM EST. Regulation only. What is there to say about the Penguins in the playoffs at this point? They have the pedigree, a fist full of rings and of course Sidney Crosby, but with all of that comes a price to pay. If you've been in a hockey pool, you probably watched most of Pittsburgh big guns fly off the board before the first Islander was taken. Market perception matters and the Penguins are as well known and trusted as a commodity as you'll likely find in these playoffs. Truth is, the Pens defense is a massive liability that they have not been able to fix all season. However, this Game 1 is about so much more than just the skates and sticks.

Let's just set aside the Islanders for a second and focus on who the Pens will really be battling in this series and that's Barry Trotz. Trotz versus Crosby goes back many years to the coach's days in Washington, where he and Alex Ovechkin were so often the bridesmaids to these Penguins that it almost became comical. Last season, the Caps and more importantly Trotz finally disposed of Pittsburgh and completed that long run to the cup. It was fitting for Trotz and Washington to part ways after the playoffs, as it was never going to be that good again, but the Islanders wisely snapped up the veteran bench boss for what was sure to be a rebuilding season after losing superstar John Tavares to free agency. Most preseason prognostications had the Isles in contention for consensus top pick Jack Hughes in June's Draft rather than in the starter's block for the NHL's playoff marathon. Trotz's addition to building this version of the "us against them," "nobody believes in us" Islanders cannot be understated, as this team totally took on the bulldog personality of its coach. That Trotz spent years in the east shutting down the best the conference had to offer while playing in a ton of high profile playoff games is just the cherry on the sundae. If anyone knows how to shut down "The Kid," it's "Trotzy."

Perhaps second in importance only to the addition of Trotz, as the Isles would not be here without him, is that this team is going "home" for the playoffs. Gone will be the hipsters, lousy sight lines and long train rides to the rink, as the Islanders return to Uniondale and the cozy confines of Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. There will not be a more boisterous and rabid crowd on your television tonight than the one that will be in that legendary barn. It doesn't have the fancy bells and whistles of Barclay's, but what it does have matters so much more. A passionate fanbase that lost its team, even if it was just a borough or two away, that is desperate to prove that this team should have never left Uniondale. When the Isles sold their souls for the bright lights of Brooklyn, they lost more than that, as their hearts stayed locked on Long Island. Tonight, those two become one and all will be right again. If there's one thing we know for sure, it's that the Islanders will not be flat tonight.

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