Takeaways: ‘Islanders Type of Victory’ Evens up Series with Pens | NYHN+

UNIONDALE, N.Y. — When Barry Trotz called Saturday’s Game 4 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins a “(New York) Islanders type of victory” he wasn’t wrong. The Islanders’ physical style of play frustrated Pittsburgh and helped lift them to a 4-1 win to even the series at 2-2.

Four different Islanders scored on Saturday afternoon sending the Nassau Coliseum into a frenzy and Ilya Sorokin gave a performance worthy of the important stage he was playing on. It proved to be a critical win to help curb sluggish play on the Islanders’ part, which had hurt them in Game 2 and Game 3.

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Here are the takeaways from the Islanders Game 4 win at the Nassau Coliseum

Ilya Sorokin

It was a guessing game as to who would get the start on Saturday, but in the end Islanders head coach Barry Trotz appeared to make the right choice. Sorokin made 29 saves and was less than three minutes away from a shutout. Yeah, he was pretty good, to say the least.

There never appeared to be any jitters from the rookie goaltender, who made an early stop on Kasperi Kapanen 1:01 into the game to set the tone. While the save would appear to be somewhat routine, for an Islanders team that had allowed a soft goal in the opening minutes of the contest in Game 2 and Game 3 it had to be somewhat reassuring.

“Ilya’s been through a lot of stuff. Everything from a league championship in a very good league, he’s won, he’s been MVP, he’s been under the spotlight,” Islanders head coach Barry Trotz said. “It’s his demeanor. He enjoys those moments just like Varly does. So he’s not a guy is a pure rookie coming into the NHL or a lot of these high-pressure situations, just in different leagues. As we brought him along, I think he just feels very comfortable.”

That was evident as he turned away shot after shot when Pittsburgh was able to generate chances on Saturday.

Playing ‘Islanders’ Hockey

The New York Islanders played physically, with an edge and they knocked Pittsburgh off their game. Yes, the Islanders did finally play their brand of hockey for nearly a full 60 minutess. That was the biggest difference for the Islanders, who didn’t give Pittsburgh much to work with through the course of the three periods.

According to Natural Stat trick, Pittsburgh only had seven high danger chances through the entire game. The Islanders finished the night with 11. And you saw the New York Islanders generate their chances from the defensive end of the ice and transition into the offensive zone.

Not to mention the Islanders had contributions from the top on down, which had been missing over the past few games. Jordan Eberle scored his first goal of the postseason, Oliver Wahlstrom had the first playoff goal of his career and the Isles second line continued to generate chances whenever they were on the ice.

“I like to think that throughout the season we play playoff hockey,” Eberle said. “We’re a detailed team. We’re above people and when it translates to the playoffs that’s just our game. We’re comfortable with it. It’s a tight series, not a lot of space out there. No one is really willing to take that chance or make that mistake. … For the most part, I liked the way we kept pushing forward and limiting their chances.”

Coliseum Played a Factor

For all of the talk about the Nassau Coliseum being such a tough place to play at, it lived up to the billing on Saturday afternoon. Even former Islanders forward Matt Moulson said so during an exclusive interview with NYI Hockey Now.

The 6,800 came alive on Saturday as the Islanders’ physical brand of hockey sent the fans into a tizzy during the first period. The scoring in the second and third periods nearly blew the roof off the place. While the current state regulations kept the building from its 14,900 full capacity, the fans inside more than made up for it and the teams on the ice took notice.

“The crowd kept us in it,” Eberle said. “You come out hearing them chant… we fed off their intensity right from puck-drop.”

Trotz took the comments one step further.

“Absolutely,” Trotz responded when asked if the crowd was a true sixth man. “We’re going to need them again. The crowd is a big factor in this building and they have to continue to give us their best. We’ll give our best, they have to give their best and I think they gave it today. I saw some Jets players having a ball at a hockey game, that’s always nice.

“We had some old Islanders and what a great atmosphere.”