The New York Islanders have used a simple, but effective formula for success since Barry Trotz came aboard as head coach.
They play a sound defensive structure, try to score first, and then smother the opponent the rest of the way. It’s a style that has often been labeled “boring.”
The Islanders were trailing 3-2 with 12 minutes left in the second period.
Three minutes later, they were up 5-3 😱
(via @NHL) pic.twitter.com/8MjcKnimFy
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 27, 2021
But that is not the style that won them the game Wednesday in a series-clinching Game 6 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Showing they can play offense as well as defense, the Islanders showed speed and finesse in beating the Penguins 5-3 in front of a rowdy crowd of 9,000 at Nassau Coliseum to advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs against the Boston Bruins.
Whopping 21 Goals
In their six-game series, the Islanders scored a whopping 21 goals, or an average of 3.5 goals per game against a strong Pittsburgh team that finished first in the East Division in the regular season.
Now, granted, Tristan Jarry gave up some soft goals in this series and the Penguins haven’t advanced past the first round since 2018, but that doesn’t take away from the fact the Islanders were flying last night, making crisp plays and going on the attack whenever they had the chance.
Ya’ll brought the E N E R G Y tonight. pic.twitter.com/nGMWoS9j7a
— x – New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) May 27, 2021
It one sequence, which culminated with Anthony Beauvillier‘s goal in the first period, all five players on the Islanders touched the puck with sharp passing over a nine-second span until Beauvillier was sprung loose to roof a backhand shot.
This scoring outburst by the Islanders in the series showed they should be able to play with anyone, using any style. And let’s not forget it’s not just the number of goals, but the opportunistic scoring the Islanders got with Kyle Palmieri and Josh Bailey winning two games with overtime goals.
Timely Scoring
Now these Islanders are not the Colorado Avalanche or even the Tampa Bay Lightning when it comes to elite scorers. There is no Nathan MacKinnon or Steven Stamkos on the Islanders, but the Islanders might have something even better.
And that’s scoring balance and timely scoring. Any line can score. In the Pittsburgh series, the best line was the Brock Nelson line with Beauvillier and Bailey on the wings.
“Our fans were fantastic, it was loud. They were into it, we were into it. Without them, I don’t know if we would have pulled this off, honestly.”
Trotz ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/WcWZMBWhnn
— x – New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) May 27, 2021
Nelson was so good and unselfish he hit the post on an open net from point-blank range last night when it could have earned him a hat trick. That’s about the only thing that went wrong for these Islanders all night.
“This group always sticks with it,” Nelson told reporters. “The fans gave us a boost, they were fired up today. They were rowdy, they were loud. Once we got the lead, they were loud through the end. It’s awesome having them back. We just wanted to get that one in front of them.”
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Crosby A Non-Factor
It was unusual to see the Islanders’ offense blossom while the high-powered Penguins struggled to find the net. The top Pittsburgh line of Sidney Crosby, Bryan Rust and Jake Guentzel rarely established a scoring presence.
Rust had two goals, but keeping Crosby and Guentzel to one goal each has to be one of the most surprising results of the series.
“When everybody stays on task, a lot can get accomplished,” Trotz said. “I’ve said it to probably every team I’ve had, ‘You want to go somewhere fast, go by yourself. you want to go somewhere far, go with the group.’ This group believes in the group, the strength in the group.”
“Special group that we have, lots of character and lots of leadership. We just stuck with it and obviously the fans gave us a little bit – every goal and every hit, every good shift and every battle that we won."
Beauvillier & Nelson ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/IJikApxTIM
— x – New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) May 27, 2021
The Islanders crushed the Penguins mentally in Game 6. Three times, the Penguins took the lead and three times the Islanders fought back to tie the game.
That kind of response can deflate a team quickly.
The most dispiriting sequence for the Penguins involved the Islanders responding when Jason Zucker gave Pittsburgh its third lead of the game at 1:53 of the second period. The Islanders responded with three goals in 2:59, including two in 13 seconds.
Crazy Game
“It was a crazy game, but never out of reach,” Nelson said. “No quit in this team. We always try to fight back and we were able to do that tonight.”
Ilya Sorokin continued to take control of the goaltending duties from Semyon Varlamov in this series and became the first goalie in Islanders history to win his first four NHL playoff games.
Sorokin made a huge pad save on Evgeni Malkin’s breakaway at 13:12. Also he got lucky when Crosby hit the post from the slot at the end of a Pittsburgh power play in the third period.
In the end, the Penguins had the firepower to beat the Islanders. They added Jeff Carter at the trade deadline and he was an immediate upgrade, tallying four goals in the series to lead all Penguins.
The Islanders defensive pairing of Ryan Pulock and Adam Pelech were spectacular all series, but especially last night. They each had a rating of plus-4.
It is the first time since 1984 (Ken Morrow and Paul Boutillier) were +4 or better in the same game, as per statistician Eric Horniak.
Bruins Will Be Tough
It’s hard to predict what will happen against the Bruins. Each series has its own characteristics. The Islanders had success against Boston, especially early in the season, and were 5-2-1 against them overall. But after the Bruins acquired Taylor Hall, Boston took the last three games.
Although the Islanders showed off some offensive flair in the Pittsburgh series, the Bruins will be a formidable foe. Tuukka Rask is not going to let in as many soft goals as Tristan Jarry did. The Islanders are going to have to earn every goal they get.
