NEW YORK ISLANDERS VS. PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

MY 3 TAKEAWAYS FROM GAME 3

The New York Islanders marched into PPG Paints Arena and took Game 3 from the Pittsburgh Penguins to grab a 3-0 series lead. Here’s a look at three takeaways from Sunday’s game.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have been put on the ropes by the New York Islanders. In a must-win Game 3 for the former, it was the latter who came out on top 4-1. And it’s the Isles who hold a 3-0 series lead in their best-of-seven series in the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Even a rowdy home crowd at PPG Paints Arena couldn’t will Pittsburgh to victory. Much like in Game 2, the Isles imposed their will on the Pens. This is shocking, considering how great Pittsburgh played down the stretch.

Skill is the name of the game in the NHL today. This makes Pittsburgh’s struggles even odder. We’re not talking a run of the mill team. The Pens are a team who have recently won back-to-back Stanley Cups and are a regular postseason fixture. You’d think they’d be able to come out on top of a less skilled Islanders team. But this hasn’t been the case.

Let’s take a look at three takeaways from Game 3.

3. PENS HAVE NO SPACE

The Penguins are most dangerous when they are able to use the full ice to their advantage. It’s hard to stop them for an entire 60 minutes. The Isles deserve a ton of credit for not giving them any space to work with. They’ve gotten under the Pens’ skin so much, even when Pittsburgh gets quality chances, they’re gripping their sticks too tightly to get anything done.

This series was always going to come down to which of the conflicting styles of play proved to be more dominant. I admittedly thought the Pens were a good bet to come out on top because of their experience. But man, I, once again, was wrong about the Islanders.

2. EBERLE’S ARRIVAL

The Islanders struggled to score goals this season, ranking 21st out of 31 teams. Jordan Eberle‘s struggles certainly played a role in it. The usually consistent goal scorer was inconsistent, only scoring 19 goals and 37 points. Both were well below Eberle’s averages. In fact, it was his lowest goal total since his rookie year and his lowest point total in a full season.

For the first time since Eberle’s incredible World Juniors tournaments in 2009 and 2010, he’s showing the clutch goal scoring that made him a WJC legend. He struggled during his first taste of the playoffs, posting just two assists in 13 games.

This led the Oilers to trade him to the Islanders. It’s safe to say Edmonton got the short end of that deal. With the Isles, Eberle is showing why the Oilers were probably a bit silly to trade a consistent goal scorer just because he had 13 bad games.

He’s been leading the Islanders throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He has a goal in each of their three games, including his Game 2 game-winner. Eberle’s Game 3 goal was an extremely critical one. It came less than 30 seconds after the Penguins scored to take a 1-0 lead. Should we really be surprised the WJC hero has finally become the postseason hero he was destined to be?

1. ISLANDERS HAVE KILLER INSTINCT

You need more than skill and grit to win the Stanley Cup. “It” is also needed. What is “it”? It’s a variety of things, but a huge component is a killer instinct. You need to be able to handle moments appropriately and have the cold-bloodedness needed to put teams away. Game 3 wasn’t pretty, but the Isles showed their instinct.

PPG Paints Arena can be a dangerous place to play. And after Garrett Wilson‘s first-period goal, the crowd was rocking. The Isles’ response was necessary and it came courtesy of Eberle’s goal less than 30 seconds after Wilson’s goal.

It didn’t stop there. Less than a minute of the Islanders’ first goal, Brock Nelson scored to give them a 2-1 lead. This was a lead the Isles did not relinquish. In the second period, they didn’t let Pittsburgh get back in the game, outshooting them 16-8.

Even when Pittsburgh started getting the crowd back into it in the third period, Leo Komarov put the nail in the coffin with a goal of his own. Anders Lee‘s empty-net goal was just icing on the cake.

The Islanders aren’t going to beat anyone because of their skill. Perhaps that’s good for this bunch of misfits. Everyone has to buy in in order for the team to have success. This Isles team is all-in for their head coach Barry Trotz. They’re going to be a tough team for anyone to beat.