Mat Barzal’s stick scored the game-winning goal off Robert Bortuzzo’s shot in double overtime, giving the Islanders a 3-2 victory against the Hurricanes at UBS Arena.
Who saw this one coming? The Carolina Hurricanes found ways to win all three games to be in a position to sweep the Islanders on Saturday afternoon. It sure appeared like they were about to do it again. But a funny thing happened.
The home team showed heart and grit on goaltender Semyon Varlamov’s 42-save performance and Barzal’s two-goal performance to extend their season to another game. It was their first win of this playoff series, and now they get to salvage their season again at PNC Arena for Game 5 on Tuesday night.
There was no hyperbole here. The Islanders sure appeared to look dead after blowing a 2-1 lead at 6:02 to go in the game on Stefen Noesen’s power-play goal, which sent it to overtime. The Hurricanes outshot the home team 17-10 in overtime. With a young team still having fresh legs against an old, tired Islanders team in double overtime, it seemed this wouldn’t be a happy ending.
But that’s the beauty of sports. You think you know something until it doesn’t happen. It’s no wonder sports is the best reality TV show and why we love it so much. You never know what you’re going to see.
This was a team that needed a win. This was a fanbase that was hungry for it. A sweep would have made the Islanders’ 7-0-1 finish to make the playoffs look moot. It would have made their playoff appearance seem like they backed in. And it wouldn’t have been fair if Varlamov had taken the loss. He was the reason the Islanders were in this game. When a team needed a big save, he delivered, especially in overtime when the Hurricanes had five chances to win. He set the tone at the start by making saves. He played like he wasn’t going to be denied.
It speaks volumes of his professionalism that he could bounce back after being inexplicably benched for Ilya Sorokin in Game 3 for providing a spark to the Islanders, who were trailing 2-0 in the series. It’s something Sorokin should learn as part of his maturity. One lousy game or being benched doesn’t spell the end of a career, even after he gave up three goals on 14 shots that had him pulled in the second period in Game 3 of the Islanders’ 3-2 loss to the Hurricanes on Thursday night.
Varlamov provided the leadership the Islanders required in a do-or-die game by being locked in and ready to go. Proving Roy wrong was not on his mind. He’s mature enough to know how the game goes than to dwell on his benching. He had a job to do, and he did it well. He didn’t dwell on it even when the Canes tied it at 2. He went to work making save after save to give his team a chance.
The Islanders would not have won this game without their goaltender’s play. We can talk about Barzal being the hero, and he did step up, but Varlamov put him in a position to be the hero. This doesn’t diminish Barzal’s performance. He finally made his impact in the series. Most importantly, the Islanders now have their best player playing like their best player in this series.
When the Hurricanes took a 1-0 lead in the first period, and the Islanders struggled to generate anything offensively, Barzal hit a wrist shot out of nowhere and tied the game in the second period. The shot created momentum for the home team and brought life to a crowd that seemed resigned to a potential sweep. It set the stage for Jean-Gabriel Pageau to shoot a power-play goal on a rebound shot from the left circle, giving the home team a 2-1 lead. As Varlamov did all he could to help the Islanders survive, Barzal put himself in the right place at the right time to give the home team a victory once and for all.
The Islanders can proudly say they did everything to earn this win by their two players stepping up.
Maybe it doesn’t mean much to the Hurricanes, but it should mean something to the Islanders. A win gives the home team lessons to learn and apply to the next game. It gives them belief. This shows that this team has some backbone. A win shows that guys do care. It shows there’s some hope.
Going to PNC Arena won’t be easy. Bad things always seem to happen there for the Islanders, but it sure beats not playing another game and packing up for the season. Maybe this time, the Islanders will shoot the puck from start to finish in their PNC Arena appearance.
This game sure has us pining more for the Islanders, and it’s great that we will find out.
