— x - New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) June 4, 2021
The Islanders opened the game with their best first period of the series, limiting the Bruins to just five shots in the frame. However, they still ended up surrendering the first goal of the game just six minutes in, when Craig Smith got a pass in the slot and picked the top corner with a good shot.
The second period was a bit more exciting, with chances going both ways. The Islanders got some good opportunities in the first half of the period, with several opportunities coming on the power play, before Boston started getting some pretty great chances of their own. However, both goalies were great and the score remained just 1-0 Bruins after 40 minutes.
The Bruins really started to take control in the third period though, throwing 21 shots on Varlamov in the period alone. A good chunk of the shots came on the two power play opportunities the Bruins had but Varlamov was excellent to keep the Islanders in the game. It paid off late in the third period, as Mathew Barzal put a wraparound past Tuukka Rask to send the game to overtime.
That said, the extra frame didn’t last too long. A few minutes into the period, Brad Marchand ended the game with a shot from a bad angle, which beat Varlamov over the shoulder.
While it was a great shot, it’s unfortunate for the Islanders to lose like that after the game that Varlamov had. The Islanders also looked really good in the first few minutes of overtime so for that shot to be the winner was tough to see.
The Islanders will look to even the series tomorrow night in Game 4.
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