— x - New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) May 21, 2021
For the second game in a row, Semyon Varlamov surrendered a goal early that he probably could’ve had. He did seem to be screened and the puck was deflected but that’s still a goal you don’t want to allow two minutes into the game. The Islanders did get some good opportunities as the period went on but the Penguins held onto a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes.
The second period was relatively even in terms of quality chances and while there weren’t a ton of shots exchanged, there were a few goals. Scott Mayfield managed to tie the game with a well-placed shot from the point, before Jeff Carter got the lead back for the Penguins with a good shot while coming down the wing a couple minutes later. Then later on, Jason Zucker extended Pittsburgh’s lead on a goal from the slot that seemed to catch Varlamov off guard.
The third period was the start of the real entertainment though, in what turned into an absolutely chaotic 20 minutes. It started with Cal Clutterbuck putting in a pass from-in close to cut the lead to 3-2. Then a couple minutes later we got a huge scrum, which saw just about everybody on the ice head to the penalty box. When everything was sorted out, the Islanders came away with a power play and Anthony Beauvillier was able to slide the puck past Tristan Jarry from in-close to tie the game.
However, Pittsburgh followed with a power play goal of their own, as Jeff Carter went short side to beat Varlamov to give the Penguins their lead back. The Islanders had a few more chances to tie it after that but were coming up empty-handed until Cal Clutterbuck tipped in a point shot to even the game with around 5 minutes to go. But of course, the scoring wasn’t done there, as Brandon Tanev batted a puck out of mid-air to give the Penguins the lead once and for all.
It was a disappointing loss for the Islanders, especially after battling back multiple times. The loss also leaves New York down in the series, needing to win 3 of their next 4 games.
I will say that Semyon Varlamov simply wasn’t good enough for the Islanders, especially given that New York managed more shots and better chances than the Penguins. A few of those goals were very stoppable and five goals on 27 shots won’t cut it.
At the very least, we got a wildly entertaining third period, with the momentum swinging back and forth. For reference, about 52 per cent of the game’s high-danger scoring chances came in the third period alone (according to NaturalStatTrick.com). It was the kind of playoff hockey that you love to see and it kept you on the edge of your seat for the entire frame.
The Islanders will now look to bounce back for Game 4 tomorrow afternoon.
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