GAME 5: ISLANDERS AT HURRICANES
CAR LEADS BEST-OF-SEVEN SERIES 3-1
7 PM | PNC ARENA
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The New York Islanders look to keep their season alive on Tuesday, as they take on the Carolina Hurricanes in Game Five of their First Round best-of-seven series.
The Islanders lost 5-2 in Game Four at UBS Arena on Sunday, meaning the season will be on the line on Tuesday in Raleigh. Seth Jarvis (2G), Martin Necas, Sebastian Aho (1G, 2A) and Mackenzie MacEachern (1G, 1A) powered the offense for the Hurricanes to snap their eight-game road losing streak in playoff action. Adam Pelech and Bo Horvat (SHG) scored for the Islanders, but only after New York was in a 4-0 deficit in the final frame.
"There's a lot of time after a day game to think about your game and rewatch some clips," Jean-Gabriel Pageau said on Monday. "I personally [looked at] myself in the mirror and I was thinking about what I could have done better. I'm sure everyone did."
The Islanders have a franchise record of 2-13 when trailing 3-1 in a best-of-seven series, completing comebacks of that fashion in 1975 and 1987.
STAYING DISCIPLINED
Special teams has hurt the Islanders in the series, and it was a factor in their Game Four loss, as pair of power-play goals put them in a 2-0 hole.The Islanders took five penalties on Sunday, also marking the fourth time in four games the Islanders were shorthanded four or more times. Game Four's loss marked the second time of the series the Islanders allowed two power-play goals after allowing two in Game One.
The best penalty kill, staying out of the box.
"We have to be more disciplined," Sebastian Aho said "We can't take as many penalties, and we just have to try not to focus on the refs. I feel like we were we were maybe a little bit too focused on being pissed off at them. We just got to focus on ourselves and play our game."
The Hurricanes have capitalized with five goals in 19 opportunities with the man advantage through four games. On the flip side, the Islanders power play has struggled to produce, going 1-for-12 in the series, while also allowing a shorthanded goal against. Kyle Palmieri netted the lone power-play goal in Game Three.
The Islanders are trying to walk a fine line of playing a physically punishing style, while not taking unnecessary penalties. The Islanders edged the Hurricanes in hits over the course of the first three games, but they were outhit 42-32 on Sunday.
The Islanders' 173 hits rank fourth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, while the Hurricanes' 137 rank 11th. While the Islanders are focused on playing a hard-hitting game, it's led to some penalty trouble as of late.
"We're trying to play physical," Ryan Pulock said. "But we have to control our emotions a little more. That's something that we can learn from and take into tomorrow night."
PLAYING UNDER PRESSURE
During crucial games throughout the season, Head Coach Lane Lambert led by emphasizing the message of focusing on one game at a time."The next game is all we can control," Lambert said. "Our focus is only the next game, that's critical. You can't do anything about the past. Just have to move forward and worry about one game."
The Islanders needed all 82 games to clinch a playoff spot and went 19-9-4 in final 32 games of the season to qualify for the first wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
"The whole group... we believe we can do this," Aho said. "The last month of the season we had to win most of our games, and we did, so we're kind of used to it. We know how to handle it and what to expect and that's a big thing."
The Islanders will travel to Raleigh and face the pressure of an energized home crowd for Game Five on Tuesday. Although the Islanders dropped the first two games of the series on the road, the games were decided by a single goal, and Game Two was decided in overtime.
"It's always hard, it's extremely loud," Pageau said of the hostile road atmosphere. "They compete really hard and the crowd gets behind them. Every shot, even if it's dangerous or not, they're happy and they're yelling. But if we look back at the last game, we played there and I thought we played a really good game."
The Islanders have a core group of veterans who've battled back in similar situations, rebounding after losses in big games.
"The focus is on tomorrow and we have we have to find a way to win one game," Pulock said. "There's a lot of guys in this locker room that have been in these positions before and learned things along the way. Just have to bring the right mindset and everyone has to be prepared to give our best effort tomorrow."
TURNING THE PAGE
The Islanders are looking to stay alive in their first elimination of the series, trying not to dwell on Sunday's loss."We need to come out with desperation at an all-time high," Nelson said. "We really have our backs against the wall. Our sole focus is the next game."
Their next-game mentality has kept the Islanders focused all season to reach the playoffs.
"One game at a time," Pageau said. "[The mindset] has been all year long, in the playoff push and in the playoffs, so it's not going to change today. Our main focus is the next game."
The Islanders will look to extend their season with a Game Five win to push Game Six on home ice.
"Our group has a lot of belief in one another to get the job done," Nelson said. "And go there and play confidently and also urgently. We have to go out there, worry about the start in that first period and go from there."
