3 Takeaways: Islanders Keep Season Alive with 3-2 Double-OT Win in Game 4

The New York Islanders kept their season alive on Saturday, gutting out a 3-2 double-OT win over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 4 of their First Round series.

Mathew Barzal tipped a Robert Bortuzzo point shot at 1:24 of the second overtime, giving the Islanders their first win of the series and avoiding a sweep at the hands of the Hurricanes. Barzal said the team was able to play free despite their season being on the line and Head Coach Patrick Roy said the Islanders were determined to win and finally get a result that matched their effort.

“You have no idea how proud I am of this group,” Head Coach Patrick Roy said. “Our mindset was really good. The guys were determined to find a way to win this hockey game.”

The double-OT winner was Barzal’s second goal of the game, after putting the Islanders on the board in the second period. JG Pageau scored a power-play goal, while Seth Jarvis and Stefan Noesen netted power-play goals for Carolina.

Semyon Varlamov stopped 42 in the win, while Frederik Andersen stopped 32-of-35 in the loss.

It was an exhale moment for the Islanders – and an antsy, but boisterous UBS Arena – but there’s plenty of work left to be done.

“The boys were all-in, we had to be and that one feels good,” captain Anders Lee said. “We earned that one… You gotta love to see that end that way for us and now we go from here.”

BARZAL BRINGS IT HOME:

Mathew Barzal led the way offensively for the Islanders on Saturday afternoon, potting his first two goals of the playoffs.

The first goal came on the heels of a great individual effort, as Barzal carried the puck into the zone, curled back and finally shook off Brady Skjei by changing direction high in the zone before flinging a puck on net. Barzal was quick to shed the individual label, crediting Casey Cizikas for going to the net and screening.

“A lot goes into scoring in these playoffs it's not just an individual effort, it never is,” Barzal said. “I might get the credit for scoring but I mean, Bo [Horvat] making a play, [Adam Pelech] making the next play and [Cizikas] screening. A lot goes into it.”

The second one was a big one, as it was Barzal’s turn to go the net, where he deflected a Bortuzzo point shot past Andersen. Head Coach Patrick Roy did tell his players between overtime periods that it doesn’t have to be pretty, so while it won’t be the prettiest goal on Barzal’s highlight reel, it was a pretty important one.

The game-winner capped off an active night with four shots on goal and eight total attempts, including perhaps the Islanders best chance to win the game in the first overtime.

ISLES DOMINATE AT THE DOT

The Islanders had a big night at the face-off dot, winning 68% of their draws.

JG Pageau led the way by winning 19-of-23 (83%), while Bo Horvat won 65% (15-of-23), but every Islanders player was 50% or higher.

That played a key role in the Islanders getting out of their zone, and keeping possession in the offensive zone and just starting with the puck in general.

Pageau’s power-play goal in the third period came on the heels of a face-off win, as Anders Lee – who extended his point streak to four games – jumped in support of Pierre Engvall to win the draw. The puck wound up back to Noah Dobson whose rebound popped out to Pageau for his first goal of the series.

Pageau’s 19 face-off wins were more than his 13 combined wins in Games 1 and 2 and to put a bow on his night, the French-Canadian center won eight of his nine draws against Jordan Staal, the top face-off man for Carolina.

VARLAMOV STOP 42 SHOTS IN BIRTHDAY WIN

Semyon Varlamov celebrated his birthday in style, stopping 42-of-44 shots in the win.

The veteran netminder was calm, cool and collected in the victory, staying square to shooters and rarely finding himself out of position.

“He's just a savvy veteran that's played a lot of games in this league, playoff games,” Noah Dobson said. “You just see the calm demeanor he has, doesn't matter about the situation he's the same Varly, so it gives us a lot of composure and calmness back there.”

Varlamov was at his best in the first overtime, where Carolina outshot the Islanders 17-9, but that was the only period when the Hurricanes shooting gallery was in full effect. Credit to the Islanders who held the Canes under 10 shots in the first and third periods and blocked 22 shots, including a game-high six from Adam Pelech.

The only two goals to beat Varlamov came on Hurricanes power plays, so at five-on-five, Varlamov kept a clean sheet.

NEXT GAME

Game 5 goes on Tuesday night at PNC Arena in Raleigh. Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m.