The Islanders face a pivotal game four on Saturday after falling to the Penguins in a wild and physical game three on Thursday night.
New York almost pulled off the comeback, tying the game three times only to surrender another goal less than two and a half minutes later each time in what was a frenzied third period that included a major scrum at the net that resulted in 10 players crowding the two penalty boxes.
That’s just how the Islanders want it as the series continues.
“That’s the series we want to play,” Jordan Eberle said on Friday. “The harder it gets the better we feel. We want to continue to go to the net hard, and if that stuff arises, so be it. We’re a group that sticks up for each other, and if one guy goes in, all five will come in too.”
Eberle was dominant in the Islanders sweep of Pittsburgh in 2019, but has been held in check through the first three games of this series. But if space on the ice is more limited than in the series two years ago, New York is fine with continuing to throw bodies at the net like they did on a scoring chance five minutes into the third period, which led to the five penalties for each side.
“I think there’s carryover from the whole game,” head coach Barry Trotz said. “I didn’t mind our game at all…it was an inspired game from both parties. Both teams care. Both teams don’t like each other.”
Kyle Palmieri and Sidney Crosby got into it during the third period mayhem, and Palmieri anticipates the physicality to continue, especially as the Islanders will be hunting for any scoring chance in game four as they look to even the series before heading back to Pittsburgh.
“We saw what things we can do to be successful against this team…it was an emotional game, but it’s the playoffs, and that’s what it’s all about,” Palmieri said. “You don’t see that too often, but there was just a loose puck in the crease and we were down a goal, so we wanted to put one into the net. The scrum ensued, and that’s part of hockey.”
The third period scrum was a physical bout that seemed fitting within the walls of the Nassau Coliseum, and the Islanders hope for more of it in game four, only this time with a different outcome.
“I think you get excited about it,” Trotz said. “I think what you find with athletes is the harder the game and the more the emotional part of it, they sort of embrace that a little bit. Those are the fun games…I think they enjoy that game. I didn’t enjoy the result but I enjoyed that game.”
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