The New York Islanders found themselves in a 3-0 hole to start their first round series against the Carolina Hurricanes. Facing elimination, the team battled for a double overtime win at UBS Arena to extend their season. Next up is game five in Raleigh, where the Hurricanes will be seeking to end the series while the Islanders will be fighting to bring the series back to Long Island. Here are three keys for the Islanders to win game five and continue their comeback bid.
The Hurricanes will be feeding off the energy of their home crowd as they try to win the series on home ice. Additionally, the Hurricanes are a really tough team to try and mount a comeback against. In games one and three, they scored the first goal and never let the Islanders even tie the game.
That being said, getting the first goal in this game will be a crucial aspect of the Islanders’ success. Doing so will help take the crowd out of it and also allow them to dictate the pace of this game. It’ll be a task easier said than done, as they’ll have to endure what is sure to be a fast and aggressive start for the Hurricanes. But surviving that push and taking an early lead will be a huge momentum boost for the team.
Semyon Varlamov’s regular season hot streak has extended into this series. He’s held the Hurricanes to two goals in two of his three starts this series. He was also perfect in his relief of Ilya Sorokin in game three. His most recent performance in the double overtime thriller saw him make 42 saves en route to the win. The Islanders are going to need Varlamov to continue to be at his absolute best if they hope to win game five. The Hurricanes have a lot of success getting pucks to the net and maintaining a lot of offensive pressure.
With all of the pressure they apply, the Islanders need their netminder to be sharp and come up with some big saves. Sorokin’s game three was the perfect example of how a less than ideal performance in net can put a game out of reach. A team facing a stingy Hurricanes defense and a red-hot Frederik Andersen will need all the help they can get to keep the game close. If Varlamov can continue to perform in the clutch, the Islanders will have a great chance to stay in this game and the series.
Both areas of special teams have to be near perfect to take this game from the Hurricanes. First, there’s the power play, in which the Islanders have had limited opportunities on. In each game of this series, they’ve gotten no more than two total power play chances. That pattern should really emphasize the importance of converting power play opportunities when they do come about. The Islanders need to treat each power play like their last and ramp up their intensity. As seen in game four, a power play goal could be a huge difference in the final result.
On the other end of special teams, the penalty kill has actually been relatively strong for the Islanders. The Hurricanes have had 14 power play opportunities and the Islanders have killed 10 of them. The problems begin when the team starts to take an excess of penalties. Every time the Hurricanes have been given three or more power plays, they’ve converted on at least one. Smart, disciplined play, along with continued efficiency from the PK unit, is a necessity to win this game.
Featured image courtesy of NHL.com
Check out our NHL page for more updates
You can like The Game Haus on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from great TGH writers like Justin!
Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Please play responsibly. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.
