Game 5 Notebook: Isles Keep Season Alive with Double-OT Win

There's still some fight left in the New York Islanders.
The Islanders kept their season alive on Tuesday night, gutting out a 2-1 double-OT win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final. Game 6 goes on Thursday at 8 p.m.
Jordan Eberle scored the game-winner at 12:30 of the second overtime, finishing a two-on-one rush with Anders Lee that started with Kevin Shattenkirk fanning on a shot at the Isles blue line.

It was a long, hard road to get to the game-winner, as the Islanders and Lightning grinded their way through a low-scoring and tight-checking contest - the fifth-longest game in Isles history. Tuesday's game featured more blocked shots (62) than shots on goal (61), so the Isles paid the physical price to get another crack at the Lightning.

"The boys battled hard tonight," Eberle said. "We had some moments in the d-zone, especially in overtime where we had a broken stick, collapsed and just held on, waited for our chance. To score that, continue to move on and give ourselves another chance in a couple of days is huge."
The Isles had to persevere through their fair share of adversity in the do-or-die Game 5. Tampa outshot the Isles 37-24 in four-and-a-half periods, with the Isles six second-period shots being the high-water mark. The Isles didn't record their 12th shot on goal until the 8:35 mark of the third period.
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They challenged and overturned Carter Verhaeghe's second period goal that would have broken a 1-1 tie, a big moment whose impact only loomed larger as the game wore on. They killed off Anthony Beauvillier's four-minute high-sticking penalty at the end of the third period, easily the most tense four minutes of the Islanders season.
In OT, they got big efforts from up and down the lineup. Semyon Varlamov got a toe on a Nikita Kucherov point shot on the four-minute kill. JG Pageau - who took 43 faceoffs - laid out for a big block on a Ryan McDonagh shot at the end of the first overtime. Scott Mayfield played a solid minute with a wrong-handed stick, courtesy of Lee, who played without one before laying down for another big-time block on Zach Bogosian.
"It's just guys putting their body on the line to win," said Johnny Boychuk, whose door prize for playing his first game since Aug. 1 was a Kucherov one-timer to the stomach. "You do anything to get the win and we did. We just have to put it behind us and look forward to the next one."
All those little plays helped hold the fort until the Isles caught their break with Shattenkirk's whiff. Like they have all season, the Isles seized their opportunity and made their opponent pay, this time spoiling Tampa's perfect 5-0 playoff OT record and keeping their season alive.
Head Coach Barry Trotz said before the game that the Islanders would have to focus on each individual shift if they want to extend their season and attempt a comeback. They did so on Tuesday night and earned the right to play again Thursday.
"Our guys didn't waver, they just kept grinding and grinding and you can get some energy from it, no question," Trotz said. "We didn't give up and that's a great sign going forward."

VARLAMOV SLIDES INTO WIN COLUMN:

Semyon Varlamov doesn't like to show a lot of emotion, but whether it was the stakes of Tuesday's game, his team's effort, or perhaps just finishing the three-and-a-half hour marathon, Varlamov let himself enjoy the moment.
Varlamov raced out of his net after Eberle's winner, doing a head-first dive into the team's celebratory hug. Whatever the reason, Varlamov deserved to have a little fun, especially after turning in a superb 36-save performance.
"I just jumped. I was so excited for us," Varlamov said. "Our season was on the line today. When we scored that goal, a lot of emotions going through in that moment. I was just so happy for the guys… we have a chance to continue to play."
Varlamov held the fort while the Lightning shelled the Isles 8-2 early in the first and had a handful of big saves on Kucherov throughout the evening, including the toe save on the OT kill.

PULOCK/PP OPENS SCORING:

Ryan Pulock put the Islanders up 1-0 at 15:41 with a power-play goal, blasting one of his trademark slap shots through an Lee screen and Vasilevskiy.
Pulock's goal was his second of the playoffs and first since Game 2 of the Qualifiers against the Florida Panthers. It also marked the Isles second power-play goal of the series. The Isles went 1-for-3 on the night and are 2-for-17 on the series.
With a goal, Pulock recorded his 10th point of the postseason, the most for an Islanders defenseman since 1983.

HEDMAN SCORES FOR LIGHTNING:

The Lightning tied the score at 4:00 of the second period, as Victor Hedman blasted his eighth goal of the postseason past Varlamov. Tampa caught the Isles on a change, with Luke Schenn finding Blake Coleman with a stretch pass from the Lightning end. Coleman shot for a rebound off Varlamov's pad and while Jordan Eberle tied up Yanni Gourde on the first try, a trailing Hedman stepped into a slapper.
Tampa appeared to take a 2-1 lead midway through the period, as former Bridgeport Sound Tiger Carter Verhaeghe snapped a shot past Varlamov, but the Islanders challenged and overturned the goal, as Cedric Paquette was offside on the initial zone entry.

ISLES GO 11F/7D:

The Islanders opted to go with 11 forwards and seven defensemen in Game 5, inserting Johnny Boychuk and taking out Michael Dal Colle.
It was an abrupt change, but Trotz was looking to alleviate the burden on his defensemen and bring Boychuk's big-game experience into the fold. It paid off, as the Isles were able to distribute minutes as the game went into deep water. Boychuk also blocked a team-high six shots.
Trotz also changed up his lines as well, notably putting Cal Clutterbuck in Eberle's spot on the top line with Mathew Barzal and Lee. Eberle started the game with Pageau and Matt Martin, but finished alongside Lee on the winner.
The Lightning also went 11/7 for the fifth-straight game. Brayden Point, Tampa's co-leading scorer with 25 points, missed the game with an undisclosed injury. Carter Verhaeghe drew into the lineup, while Anthony Cirelli played on the top line.

NEXT GAME:

The Isles will look to keep their season alive again on Thursday night when they take on the Lightning in Game 6. Puck drop is 8 p.m.