Game 5 Preview: Islanders at Penguins

GAME 5: ISLANDERS AT PENGUINS
SERIES TIED 2-2
7 PM | PPG PAINTS ARENA
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"Tomorrow night after the game, one team is going to have their back up against the wall."
The stakes are high with the series between the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins tied up 2-2.
After claiming a pivotal 4-1 victory in Game 4, the Islanders look to keep the momentum going and regain the series lead in Game 5 as they travel to PPG Paints Arena on Monday night.

The Islanders are coming off what they felt was their best game of the series, as they executed disciplined and detailed Islander hockey that frustrated the Pens. Josh Bailey and Ryan Pulock scored in the second period, while Oliver Wahlstrom and Jordan Eberle converted on third-period power plays. Ilya Sorokin made his second start of the series and first since Game 1 and 'looked calm' as he denied 29-of-30 shots in the win, becoming just the second rookie goalie in franchise history to win multiple games in the postseason.
Zach Aston-Reese scored a shorthanded goal in the final frame to rob Sorokin of the shutout, while Tristan Jarry made 22 saves on 26 shots of his fourth-straight start of the series.
*Update: Per Pens Inside Scoop, the Penguins used the same lines and defensemen at morning skate. Goaltender Casey DeSmith was the only player not in attendance.

BEST-OF-THREE

Following an emotional 5-4 loss in regulation in Game 3, the Islanders came out with vengeance in Game 4, but not the heated physical kind. The team executed a disciplined and detailed performance true to their identity. In doing so, they were able to agitate the Pens and get them off their game. Evgeni Malkin took three of the six penalties for Pittsburgh.
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ISLANDERS VIDEO
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"It was a good win," Brock Nelson said. "We wanted to bounce back after an emotional Game 3 where we thought we played a pretty good game. Would have liked a different result, so we followed it up. [We had] a similar effort, got the different result. Now it's a best-of-three moving forward."
While knowing a road win in Game 5 would poise the Islanders for the chance to clinch the series in Game 6 on home ice, the team isn't allowing themselves to think that far ahead. They know the task begins first and foremost at the drop of the puck in Game 5.
"It's the best of three and that's it," Trotz said. "Tomorrow, you don't worry about getting to. Just worry about the first shift, first period and we'll go from there. Both teams, there's not much separating teams. It's nose-to-nose."

SPECIAL TEAMS SUCCESS

Through four games in this series, the Islanders have held the edge in the battle of special teams. And with both teams vying for every inch of the ice to take away any sliver of space of fraction of time, special teams become more and more vital as the series goes on.
With two goals on the power play, the Islanders are now 3-for-12 (25%) in the series while Pittsburgh is 1-for-8. Aston-Reese's shorthanded goal was the first time that the Islanders have relinquished a goal on the man advantage throughout this entire calendar year. The team finished the regular season as the only team in the NHL to not give up a shorthanded goal against.
Aston Reese's goal aside, the Islanders look to continue their success in that aspect of the game.
"You see it on five-on-five and you see it in the game, but I think special teams are all about confidence," Trotz said. "The only way you get confidence is in special teams. You got to be creating chances and you got to be scoring goals."
Video: Practice 5/23: Barry Trotz

USING THE ENERGY TO THEIR ADVANTAGE

The Islanders kicked off the series with a 4-3 overtime win in Game 1 on May 16 at Pittsburgh. But in Game 2, the Penguins scraped out a 2-1 win and benefitted from an increase in capacity at their arena which was boosted to 50% equating to a little over 9,000.
The Islanders know the atmosphere is going to be intense - much like what the Penguins faced in Games 3 and 4 at the 'rocking' Nassau Coliseum - but are looking to harness that energy in their favor.
"That's definitely a challenge that you have to overcome," Jean-Gabriel Pageau said. "Obviously, going in there just with fans it was the first experience for us in the playoffs with fans. It felt like a full house because we were so used to playing without any fans. It was pretty cool, but we got to take that energy and put it on our side instead of thinking it's the away crowd. We have to take that energy and play with it."

PENGUINS NOTES:

• Sidney Crosby has been held without a point since Game 1 where he scored a goal. His entire line with Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust have been held to just three points (2G, 1A) through four games.