5 Takeaways: Islanders Lose Turbulent Game 3 to Penguins

Playoff hockey was back at Nassau Coliseum on Thursday night. So was old time hockey.
The New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins combined for nine goals - including five in the third period - and one line brawl in front of 6,800 at the Coli for Game 3. The only thing it didn't have for the Islanders was a satisfying ending, as the Isles ultimately fell 5-4 to the Penguins and now trail their best-of-seven series 2-1.

"We're disappointed, but as soon as the buzzer rings, it's over with, but it's the playoffs, so you can't dwell on anything, can't hang your head," Mathew Barzal said. "Obviously it stings a bit because that would have been a huge win to get. We're in a playoff series, so it's the first to four, we'll be alright."
Brandon Tanev broke a 4-4 with 3:36 to play in the third period to give the Penguins a 2-1 series lead, a disappointing conclusion after a valiant effort from the Islanders, who tied the score on three separate occasions.
Scott Mayfield (1G, 2A) had a team-high three points, while Cal Clutterbuck scored a pair of goals for the Islanders. Kris Letang had a team-high three points for the Penguins, while Jeff Carter scored twice. Tristan Jarry stopped 26-of-30 in the win, while Semyon Varlamov stopped 22-of-27 in the loss.
Here are five takeaways from Game 3.

A WILD THIRD PERIOD:

Thursday's contest was an entertaining, physical and emotionally-charged one from the drop of the puck, but reached a crescendo in the third period.
The Islanders trailed the Penguins 3-1 entering the third, but utilized a pair of quick goals to tie the score 3-3 before the six-minute mark.
The Identity Line cut the deficit, as Casey Cizikas inadvertently blocked a shot in front of the Penguins' net before sliding a loose puck to Clutterbuck to deposit for his first of the night at 3:46.
That revved up an already-charged Coliseum crowd and the tensions on the ice and the energy came to a head shortly after in the form of a brouhaha, which put all 10 players on the ice - five per side - in the box. The Islanders came out of the donnybrook with power play and cashed in almost immediately, as Anthony Beauvillier banked a centering feed off Cody Ceci's knee and through Jarry's five-hole at 5:54.
ISLES PENS GAME 3
ISLANDERS ARTICLES
Gamecenter
ISLANDERS PENGUINS VIDEO
Full Highlights
Mayfield Second-Period Snipe
Clutterbuck Buries Rebound
Beauvillier's PPG
Clutterbuck's Second of the Game
Trotz Postgame
Mayfield and Cizikas Postgame
Barzal and Beauvillier Postgame
KINGER'S CALLS
Mayfield's Second-Period Snipe
Clutterbuck Buries Rebound
Beauvillier's PPG
Clutterbuck's Second of the Game
The lead was short-lived, as a Clutterbuck goalie interference call put Pittsburgh on the power play and Carter scored his second of the game, beating Varlamov high short side at 7:00.
"I thought we lost momentum every time we scored," Trotz said. "We got it tied up on the power play and then we took a penalty."
Still, the Islanders were not out of it, with Clutterbuck crashing the net and deflecting a Mayfield shot past Jarry at 14:17. Again, the lead didn't last long, as Tanev netted the game-winning goal 2:07 later, with a Letang shot deflecting off the Penguins forward and in.
The Islanders had their looks at the end of the game, including an open net for Brock Nelson, deflected out of play by a diving Sidney Crosby at the last second.

ISLANDERS FALL BEHIND EARLY:

The Islanders wound up chasing the game for the most of the night on Thursday, falling behind 1:54 of the first period, as Zach Aston-Reese deflected a Letang point shot past Varlamov.
The quick strike gave the Penguins some early momentum, hemming the Islanders in their own end and stifling them in the neutral zone. The Islanders started to hit their stride in the second half of the period, generating a series of chances including a Barzal backhander off the rush, a pair of Ryan Pulock shots blocked in tight by Evgeni Malkin and a deflection off Jarry's toe.
The Islanders tied the score for the first time midway through the second period, as Mayfield corralled a pass from Barzal and toe dragged a sliding Aston-Reese before snapping a wrister high-glove side on Jarry at 11:03.
In a foreshadowing moment, the tie game didn't last long, as Carter put the Penguins back on top 2-1 at 13:33, beating Varlamov far side off the rush for his second goal of the series. Jason Zucker made it 3-1 before the end of the period, picking up a loose puck in the slot, making a quick outside-in move on Mayfield before snapping it high on Varlamov at 18:03.
The Islanders have only led for 3:43 of the first 196:30 of the series, so getting ahead of the Penguins will be a priority for Game 4. That said, the Islanders liked aspects of their game, namely scoring four goals, and are taking the positives out of Game 3.
"That's the way we want to play and that's the way our team is built," Cizikas said. "That's the way we have to play and you see how effective it is, how well we sustain pressure, get chances in the ozone and keep them on their heels. Moving forward, we can take away the positives from this one moving into next game."

THE BARN ROCKS IN PLAYOFF RETURN:

Playoff hockey returned to Nassau Coliseum for the first time in over two years on Thursday night.
Despite being just under 50% capacity, the Coliseum was rocking, with 6,800 fans bringing playoff-level noise into the building. The 6,250 marked the biggest crowd at the Coliseum all season, up from the 1,400 limit for the second half.
The Coliseum was electric all night, but especially in the third period responding to all of the physical play on the ice, as well as the Islanders pushes.
"We're going to need all the positive vibes from the crowd," Trotz said. "When we got rolling, they were a big part of it. It's great. It's a great atmosphere. Our fans will help us get through this series and hopefully win the series."

INTENSITY RAMPS UP:

After eight meetings in the regular season and three hard playoff games, the Islanders and Penguins sure looked sick of each other on Thursday.
There were plenty of extra-curricular activities after the whistle throughout the night, but the boiling point came at 5:35 of the third, when a brouhaha broke out. All 10 players on the ice - including Kyle Palmieri, JG Pageau, Mayfield, Crosby, Letang and Jake Guentzel packed the penalty boxes at the Coliseum.
Add in a hooting and hollering Coliseum and the skirmish seemingly ratcheted the intensity up another couple of levels. Clutterbuck almost started a second brouhaha at 6:23, mixing it up with Malkin, while Matt Martin and John Marino took roughing penalties at 11:33.
Safe to say, Saturday's tilt is probably going to be spicy.
"You could feel the energy of the crowd," Beauvillier said. "Every hit you'd make, they'd cheer and it got us going. Lots of energy. All the games are going to get harder and harder and we're going to hate each other a little bit more every game, so it's going to be tough games coming up, but we're looking forward to it."

BARZAL RECORDS TWO ASSISTS:

After two quiet nights - by his standards - Mathew Barzal was all over the ice for Game 3. Barzal dished out two assists and recorded a game-high five shots. Barzal was on a mission from the start of the game, with three shots in the first period, including a quality backhander off the rush.
"He was [more of a force], his line was," Trotz said of Barzal. "You look back at the first two games, he was pretty quiet and we got a split. So it's good for us that he's waking up and being more of a force in the games. That should serve us well going forward."

NEXT GAME:

The Islanders and Pens meet again on Saturday afternoon at the Coli. Puck drop is at 3 p.m.