New York Islanders Take 2-1 Series Lead on Philadelphia
After game three was postponed due to protesting, the New York Islanders took the ice Saturday in hopes of taking back a lead on the top-ranked Flyers.
The New York Islanders played phenomenally in the first two games of the second round despite splitting the two and heading into game three tied at 1-1. In game one they were unstoppable as Semyon Varlamov shut the Flyers out, helping the Islanders win 4-0.
In game two he wasn’t nearly as good and he was pulled because of it after letting up three goals in just over 15 minutes to start the game. It turned out to be the right decision as Thomas Greiss was phenomenal, collecting 20 total saves and helping the Islanders force overtime after mounting a three-goal comeback.
Unfortunately, the Islanders would go onto lose in overtime, but this was a good sign nonetheless. The fact that they gave themselves a chance to win after being down 3-0 only 15:09 into the first period, is pretty impressive, and they carried that same energy into game three following a short delay due to protests.
In game three Semyon Varlamov was back in goal hoping to improve upon his horrendous game two that forced him to the bench. Luckily for the Islanders, he was much better as he collected 26 total saves and helped the Islanders take a 2-1 series lead following a 3-1 win in game three.
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The Islanders’ offense really seemed to click as they finished the game on a 3-0 run, following the Flyers’ first period goal. With that, the Islanders headed into the second period with a 1-0 deficit, but it would be Matt Martin who would tie it up off assists from Mat Barzal and Jordan Eberle.
Later in the period with only 5.1 seconds left until the horn sounded, Leo Komarov put one in the back of the net off an assist from Derick Brassard, giving the Islanders a 2-1 leading heading into the third period.
Less than two and a half minutes into the third period the Islanders went on a powerplay after Robert Hagg was called for slashing. The Islanders would take advantage of the power play, as Anders Lee scored on the man advantage, giving the Islanders a commanding 3-1 lead with only 16:19 left in the game.
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The Islanders would go onto win game three, giving them a 2-1 series lead against the top-seed in the East. The Islanders will look to extend their series lead at 8:00 EST, Sunday night as they’re tasked with playing a back-to-back.