Islanders Resilience Keying Playoff Success

Hanging around.
That's something the New York Islanders have done plenty of in the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs, weathering pushes, erasing early deficits and generally finding ways to stay in games, even if they don't control the flow of play.

The latest example was on Monday night, as the Islanders withstood an early Bruins barrage before
winning a pivotal Game 5 by a 5-4 margin
. The Islanders looked to be in tough early, as the Bruins, backed by a buzzing TD Garden, took a 1-0 lead 1:25 into the game on a David Pastrnak one-timer and continued to pour on the pressure, out-attempting the Islanders 13-4 by the first TV timeout. It easily could have been 2-0, or 3-0 before the TV timeout - Brad Marchand's shot through the crease was the closest of calls - but the Islanders were only down a single goal.
So the Islanders did as they've so often done in these playoffs and found a way to tie the score after not letting an opponent pull away, when Mathew Barzal scored the first of three Islanders power-play goals, making the Bruins pay for not putting the Isles down big early.

"Obviously we probably didn't deserve to have the game at 1-1," Barzal said. "They came out pressing they probably could have had three or four in the first period, so just to get that tied 1-1, take a deep breath, recoup for the second and obviously we did."
It's not a one-off either. Monday's Game 5 - which saw the Islanders get outshot 44-19 - was similar to their
gritty effort in Game 5 against the Pittsburgh Penguins
. The Islanders were outshot 50-28 in the contest, including 20-4 in the second period, and were able to hang around thanks to an otherworldly effort from Ilya Sorokin. They never let Pittsburgh pull away and found a way to tie it in the third before Josh Bailey won it in double-OT.
The Islanders led for exactly zero seconds in that win over Pittsburgh and
only for 1:06:48 over six-plus games in the series
. While every team prefers to play with a lead, being behind does not bury the Islanders. They allowed the first goal in all three of their wins over the Bruins in the second round, proving over and over again their mental toughness and resilient character as a group.
"We just tried to stick to our game plan," Josh Bailey said. "Maybe we got away from it a touch at times but the guys kept fighting."

The Islanders have quickly become an experienced playoff team under Barry Trotz and Lou Lamoriello. Their 41 playoff games, including four games from their Qualifying Round series with Florida, rank second behind Boston's 47 over the past three postseasons. But it's the type of experiences this team has had over those three years, as opposed to just the numbers.
"We found a way to win, good teams do that," said Jordan Eberle, who netted the third of three power-play goals. "We have a lot of character in this locker room and a lot of guys who have battled with each other for the last three years from the playoffs. You go through that many rounds and that's how you gain character. You really want to play hard for one another."
The group has learned about the perils of nine-day breaks between series, as well as quick cross-country turnarounds. After needing multiple tries to close out the Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers in the bubble, they eliminated the Penguins on their first try this season. They held the Bruins without a shot attempt on net for nearly the final five minutes of a Game 4 win and turned the page after blowing a two-goal, third-period lead vs the Bruins to win Game 2. They overcame three separate one-goal deficits to win Game 6 vs Pittsburgh.
Those experiences, with a largely unchanged team from last year's Eastern Conference Final run, have help harden this current Islanders team, at least from a mental standpoint. They don't get fazed when the ice feels tilted and are comfortable in uncomfortable positions, more than fine to wait for their opportunities to hit back.

On Monday, when the Bruins cut the Islanders lead from 5-2 to 5-4 causing Trotz to use his timeout, the Isles stayed calm, opting to take another one of those deep breathes Barzal referenced, as opposed to panicking or wilting.
"They're a veteran group, they rely on each other," Trotz said. "I do think we stay pretty calm. There's times where we're like a duck on water, feet are moving like crazy, but I think we're able to stabilize."
After hanging around in the first and hanging tough in the third, the Islanders now lead their series 3-2 and will get two cracks to close out the Bruins, starting on Wednesday night at the Coliseum.
It won't be easy, but after adding the experience of absorbing another big punch and persevering on the road, the Islanders can lean on some more recent close out experience on home ice.
"You win games in different ways and this group has learned that over the course of the playoffs," Trotz said. "But to get the fourth one is the toughest game. Boston is going to bring their A-game, we're going to have to bring our A-game, and we'll just leave it at that."