Game 2 Notebook: Special Teams and Strong Finish Lead Isles to 4-2 Win

The New York Islanders took a 2-0 lead in their best-of-five series with the Florida Panthers after skating to a 4-2 win in Game 2 on Tuesday afternoon at Scotiabank Arena.
Jordan Eberle scored twice, while Ryan Pulock and Matt Martin also lit the lamp for the Islanders, who scored three unanswered goals to usurp the Panthers. The win puts the Islanders in the driver's seat in their Stanley Cup Qualifier, as teams that go up 2-0 in a best-of-five are 55-1 all-time.

"It was a good hockey game, well played, well fought," Martin said. "We're happy to have a 2-0 lead, hopefully we can finish the job tomorrow, you don't want to give that team any life… We have to be prepared for a big one tomorrow afternoon."

PANTHERS PUSH EARLY, ISLES LOCK IT DOWN LATE:

The Islanders were expecting a desperate Panthers team - and they got it early on Tuesday.
ISLES-PANTHERS GAME 2
ISLES-PANTHERS ARTICLES
Game Summary
Event Summary
Power Play Powering Isles
Isles-Panthers Playoff Hub
ISLES-PANTHERS VIDEO
Gm 2 Recap: NYI 4, FLA 2
Postgame: Trotz
Postgame: Greene & Pulock
Postgame: Eberle & Martin
Florida pushed the pace at puck drop, out-attempting the Islanders 17-6 in the early going. The pressure culminated with Mike Hoffman's icebreaker at 11:16 of the first, a shot through traffic that hit a body before going five-hole on Semyon Varlamov (24 saves).
Hoffman's goal seemingly jolted the Islanders, who rattled off the next eight shots on goal, not including an Anthony Beauvillier shot off the crossbar. The Panthers started hot, but the Isles found their game as the day wore on and finished strong.
"We didn't get off to the start that we wanted," Andy Greene said. "We had to weather the storm a bit there, but we finally got to our game and you could see us, as we flipped it, we started gaining momentum and playing the way we needed to play and you saw what happened throughout the game there."
After going up 3-2 on Eberle's first goal of the night, the Islanders locked the game down. The Isles did not allow a shot on goal for a 13:24 stretch of the third period, from the 5:21 mark to 18:45 - the third straight contest the Isles had a 10-minute stretch without a shot against, including an exhibition win over the Rangers.
"We're on the right side of people," Head Coach Barry Trotz said of his team's shot suppression. "When you're on the right side of people, it's harder to get a lot of offense. I think we've had our good tracking protocols, we've got above people and made good puck decisions, limited time and space. When all else fails, we've been desperate and committed to block a shot if we needed to and box out around the net. Those are the details and things that help you win."

SPECIAL TEAMS POWER WIN:

At the onset of the series, the Islanders said they weren't looking to get into a special teams battle with the Florida Panthers, but they certainly found themselves in one on Tuesday - and came out on top.
The Isles power play went 2-for-7, equaling both their season high in goals and total opportunities. There was a time during the season when the Isles, who were 31st in power-play opportunities, couldn't buy a man advantage, but not on Tuesday.
"Creating penalties, and drawing penalties comes from being on the right side of the puck," Ebrele said. "Being in front of guys and forcing them to get their stick in or force them to take a tripping penalty. Not only that, but you have to keep the momentum and obviously the power play getting two tonight was big."
Each team scored a power-play goal in the second period, with Aleksander Barkov sniping a screened Varlamov 16 seconds into a Brock Nelson hooking minor to make it 2-1 at 7:54.
The Islanders responded as Pulock blasted a shot five-hole on Bobrovsky to make it 2-2 at 13:48. Pulock's goal was the result of a mid-game adjustment from Trotz, who put Pulock in Josh Bailey's spot after the Isles went 0-for-3 with the man advantage in the first period.
The Isles netted a second power-play goal in the third period, as Beauvillier's shot caromed off Eberle's shin guard at the side of the net at 10:29.
While the Panthers power play officially went 1-for-3, Hoffman's goal came four seconds after a Beauvillier penalty expired before he could meaningfully enter the play, so the Isles still need to be wary of Florida's weapons.
"In playoff games when things are really tight you need your special teams to win you games and so far we've been on top of that," Eberle said.

EBERLE LIGHTS THE LAMP TWICE:

After being held off the scoresheet in Game 1, the Islanders top trio of Anders Lee, Mathew Barzal and Jordan Eberle got on the board with the game-winner in Game 2.
"I looked at our first game and it was a quiet night, we didn't give up much, but didn't create much either. Tonight we wanted to make an impact," Eberle said. "It was good to see us start to contribute a bit and create some offense."
Tied 2-2 late in the second period, Eberle put the Isles ahead, showing tremendous patience in the slot before tucking a shot short side on Bobrovsky. Barzal picked up the secondary assist on the play for his first point of the series.
"Jordan has had success in this league and is considered a top player, a top-six forward," Trotz said. "Those guys have patience. They don't panic, they're able to slow things down with the puck and he saw there wasn't a lane and he held on, he held on, found a lane and buried it. Those players understand the game very well, time and space and slow it down when everything is a little more chaotic."
Eberle, who had four goals in four games vs Pittsburgh in last year's playoffs was in the right place at the right time for his second of the game, deflecting Beauvillier's shot off his shinguard.

KUHNHACKL CONTINUES TO CREATE:

Two games, two goals created by Tom Kuhnhackl.
The German grinder showed a little finesse on Tuesday afternoon, tucking a drop pass in tight to Matt Martin for the Islanders first goal. That play came on the heels of Kuhnhackl's strong forecheck that led to JG Pageau's goal in Game 1.
The goal was Martin's first of the postseason and second quality chance of the game. Martin previously had a couple whacks at a loose puck in front of Bobrovsky in the first period.

BOYCHUK OUT, GREENE IN:

Andy Greene drew in for Johnny Boychuyk on Tuesday, as Boychuk was deemed unavailable. Boychuk left Game 1 after taking a high hit from Mike Matheson.
Greene was paired with Nick Leddy, skating 16:07 TOI with a hit, blocked shot and one giveaway. Greene's pinch also preceded the play that led to Martin's goal.
"He's a real true pro," Trotz said of Greene. "When we acquired him, we acquired him to play big minutes, and it was a very difficult decision not to start him in Game 1, but I felt strongly that the traditional Islanders get first crack at it. Andy came in and is now an Islander. When Johnny went down, it's a great replacement… There's a reason he's had success and been in the league this long and has played against top people for the last 10 years."

NEXT GAME:

The Islanders can close out the series when the teams meet again for Game 3 on Wednesday afternoon in the second half of a back-to-back set. Puck drop is at 12 p.m. on MSG+ and NBCSN.