The New York Islanders can advance to the Stanley Cup Semifinals with a win against the Boston Bruins in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Second Round at Nassau Coliseum on Wednesday.
New York has won the past two games, including a 5-4 victory in Game 5 on Monday, to take the lead in the series. With one more win, the Islanders would play the Tampa Bay Lightning in a rematch of the 2020 Eastern Conference Final, which the Lightning won in six games.
Tampa Bay advanced to the semifinals with a 4-1 win in Game 5 of the second round against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday.
"It's going to be an intense game," Islanders center Brock Nelson said. "Whenever you're trying to close a team out, they're going to come with their best. So you've got to raise your level, come with a better game, best one of the series."
The Bruins need a win to force Game 7 in Boston on Friday. They were in the same situation heading into Game 6 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final at the St. Louis Blues and were able to extend that series before losing in Game 7.
"You've got to stay in the moment, first and foremost," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. "You can't sort of get nervous or go through the what-if scenarios. I know it sounds cliché, but you prepare to win, to play the right way. You take it one shift at a time, one period at a time. You reset if something goes wrong and build on the good things."
Here are 3 Keys for Game 6: