3 Keys: Penguins at Islanders, Game 6 of first round

No. 1 Penguins at No. 4 Islanders
6:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVAS, MSG+, ATTSN-PT
New York leads best-of-7 series, 3-2

The New York Islanders can advance to the Stanley Cup Second Round with a win against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 6 of the first round at Nassau Coliseum on Wednesday.
New York has won the past two games, including 3-2 in double overtime in Game 5. Goalie Ilya Sorokin has started all three wins with Semyon Varlamov losing Game 2 and Game 3.
The Islanders have not clinched a Stanley Cup Playoffs series at Nassau Coliseum since April 28, 1993, when they defeated the Washington Capitals 5-3 in Game 6 of the Patrick Division Semifinals. They reached the Eastern Conference Second Round with a 2-1 overtime win against the Florida Panthers at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on April 24, 2016.
"The fourth game to close out a team is the hardest," Islanders coach Barry Trotz said. "It's going to be a grind. … You have to leave your best game out there."
The Penguins will try to avoid an opening-round exit for the third straight season. They were swept by the Islanders in the 2019 Eastern Conference First Round and lost the best-of-5 Stanley Cup Qualifiers in four games to the Montreal Canadiens last season.
"There's obviously a heightened level of urgency," Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said. "When your backs are against the wall, you've got to bring everything you can to have success."
Teams that hold a 3-2 lead are 324-87 (.788) winning a best-of-7 series, including 8-0 last season.
Here are 3 keys for Game 6:

1. Jarry bouncing back

Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry made 25 saves in Game 5 before allowing the winning goal from Josh Bailey 51 seconds into the second overtime. Jarry collected a loose puck and attempted a pass up the ice that Bailey intercepted before chipping a shot over Jarry's glove.
After practice Tuesday, Jarry said he had turned his attention to Game 6. He has a 2.85 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage in the series and made 37 saves in a 2-1 victory in Game 2 after allowing four goals in Game 1.
If Jarry responds again in Game 6, Pittsburgh could get one more home game Friday.
"Working with the coaching staff, preparing me, preparing my mind," Jarry said. "I think that's a big thing in this league, just being able to bounce back and be better the next day."

2. Rewarding Sorokin

Sorokin has been the main difference for the Islanders. Except for a 4-1 win in Game 4, New York has been outplayed for lengthy stretches this series, particularly early in games.
The rookie has given the Islanders a chance to hang around and ultimately win each time he's been in net. That was obvious Monday, when he made 48 saves and the Islanders won Game 5 despite being outshot 50-28. They can't expect the same type of performance to win Game 6.

3. Desperation

The Penguins still are looking for forward Jake Guentzel to score his first goal of the playoffs, and captain Sidney Crosby has been held to two points (one goal, one assist) through five games. If there ever was a time for their most prominent scorers to produce, this is it.
Although the Islanders have won two of three games in Pittsburgh during the series, the Penguins were 22-4-2 at home during the regular season, so New York should be equally desperate before an expected crowd of about 9,000 fans to ensure Nassau Coliseum will get at least two more games before the move to UBS Arena next season.
"This is a very good hockey team we're playing in a special building, obviously because of its history," Trotz said. "The atmosphere is hard to replicate because of the quaintness of it and the passion of our fans."

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Penguins projected lineup

Jake Guentzel -- Sidney Crosby -- Bryan Rust
Jason Zucker -- Evgeni Malkin -- Kasperi Kapanen
Jared McCann -- Jeff Carter -- Frederick Gaudreau
Zach Aston-Reese -- Teddy Blueger -- Brandon Tanev
Brian Dumoulin -- Kris Letang
Mike Matheson -- Cody Ceci
Marcus Pettersson -- John Marino
Tristan Jarry
Maxime Lagace
Scratched:Evan Rodrigues, Chad Ruhwedel, Mark Friedman, Juuso Riikola, Colton Sceviour, Sam Lafferty, Mark Jankowski, Radim Zohorna, Yannick Weber, Anthony Angello, Kasper Bjorkqvist, Drew O'Connor, Pierre-Olivier Joseph
Injured: Casey DeSmith (lower body)

Islanders projected lineup

Leo Komarov -- Mathew Barzal -- Jordan Eberle
Anthony Beauvillier -- Brock Nelson -- Josh Bailey
Kyle Palmieri -- Jean-Gabriel Pageau -- Travis Zajac
Matt Martin -- Casey Cizikas -- Cal Clutterbuck
Adam Pelech -- Ryan Pulock
Nick Leddy -- Scott Mayfield
Andy Greene -- Noah Dobson
Ilya Sorokin
Semyon Varlamov
Scratched:Michael Dal Colle, Ross Johnston, Braydon Coburn, Cory Schneider, Austin Czarnik, Kieffer Bellows, Sebastian Aho, Thomas Hickey
Injured: Oliver Wahlstrom (undisclosed)

Status report

Rust and Zucker are expected to play after missing practice Tuesday. Rust was excused to spend time with his newborn son and Zucker took a maintenance day. ... Wahlstrom, a forward, will be a game-time decision after being injured on a hit into the boards from Matheson with 8:03 remaining in the third period of Game 5. … If Wahlstrom is out, Zajac will play his first playoff game since April 21, 2018, while with the New Jersey Devils.