Third Period Struggles Cost New York Islanders Again

The New York Islanders are heading back to Long Island down 2-0 in their first-round series with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Through two games, the Islanders deserved a better fate. The Islanders were the better team for about four and a half periods. The Islanders controlled the game outside of two bounces in Game 1 and probably should have won. They played a great road game in a house of horrors, PNC Arena.

So in Game 2, the Islanders were determined to even the series heading back to UBS Arena. The Islanders went up 3-0 on goals by Kyle Palmieri, Bo Horvat, and Anders Lee. Semyon Varlamov was holding serve in between the pipes once again. However, New York tried to sit back and defend against a very good Carolina Hurricanes team.

That was a mistake that cost them. The Hurricanes started to dictate play in the second period and finally got on the scoresheet—the worst lead in hockey in a three-goal lead. Carolina had life outshooting the Islanders 12-4 in the second period. But it was in the third period when things got lopsided.

Carolina outshot the Islanders 17-1. Over the final two periods, the Islanders had five shots on goal. That is not going to win hockey games. The third period has been their worst period all year. However, things changed under new head coach Patrick Roy, at least down the stretch to get into the playoffs.

The Islanders found ways to hold on to win games and stretch the lead. But clinging onto a lead in Game 2, the New York Islanders went back to their old ways.

Entering the playoffs, the Islanders had blown 24 third-period leads. Keep that in mind as we move forward. To make matters worse, the Islanders had the lead halfway through the third period. It all started with an iffy goal given up by Varlamov by Seth Jarvis to make it 3-2. All the moment was with Carolina as the Islanders were hanging on for dear life.

With the extra attacker on the ice, the Hurricanes tied the game at 3-3 on a goal by Sebastian Aho. Then, nine seconds later, Jordan Martinook made it 4-3 before Jake Guentzel made it 5-3 to ice the game for the Hurricanes. Tensions were boiling over as several players mixed it up before the final horn sounded.

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This was a must-win game for the Islanders as it is the type of game that can lead to a sweep in the series. New York was entirely in control on the scoreboard. Up 3-0, the Islanders needed to find a way to win the game.

“It’s a tough loss, no doubt about it,” Head Coach Patrick Roy said after the game. “We had a chance to win that game, but at the same time, we have to regroup and be ready for the next game.”

This is not the hockey we saw in the 1990s or 2000s when you could lock a team down 3-0. It is a different game. The Islanders let the Hurricanes dictate play and lost control of this game. Sitting back does not work in today’s game, as the offensives on these teams are too good.

“We can’t just hold on and play in our end for two periods and just hope that we’ll find a way,” Dobson said. “We have to have a push back and obviously we weren’t good enough tonight.”

The best defense is a good offense, so you are not buried in your zone. But the Islanders need more than five shots over the final 30 minutes of the game.

Being unable to close out games has been an issue for the New York Islanders dating back to last year’s series against the Carolina Hurricanes. Inconsistencies in the third period led the Islanders to blow 25 leads in the third period. They will need to change something, or else they can be out of the playoffs by the weekend.