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Flyers' Vigneault: Series vs. Islanders is going to be 'greasy'

Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Philadelphia Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault expects an interesting second-round series against the New York Islanders.

"It’s going to be a greasy series," Vigneault said Sunday. "It’s going to be a lot of fun."

The Flyers squeezed past the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the playoffs despite being outscored in the six-game span. Vigneault liked what he saw from his team, but believes they can elevate it to another level for the upcoming series.

"We were able to win that first round playing hard hockey, good hockey," Vigneault said, according to NHL.com's Adam Kimelman. "But when you analyze it, I do believe there's another level we can attain if our top-end guys execute the way that we've seen them execute throughout the year."

The Islanders and Flyers met three times during the regular season, with New York winning each game. The teams last met on Feb. 11, just before Philadelphia caught fire and went on a 10-2-0 run that was halted when the season paused on March 12.

Islanders head coach Barry Trotz thinks his team has figured out the recipe for success in playoff hockey after decimating the Washington Capitals in the first round.

"I think our 5-on-5 play, you can say (has) confidence, I think we just trust it," Trotz said. "We know what works for us. I think we understand how you win in the playoffs. We've basically gotten through two rounds right now from a mental and physical standpoint that it's sort of ingrained in your DNA of what you need to do and how you have to play."

The first game of the series is Monday at 7 p.m. ET.

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