After a 2-1 victory on Saturday, the New York Islanders went into Game 2, looking to take a commanding 2-0 series lead on the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Qualifiers. That is exactly what occurred as the Islanders defeated the Panthers, 4-2, on Tuesday afternoon.

Prior to the game, head coach Barry Trotz announced that everything will stay the same with regards to the lineup aside from Andy Greene drawing in for the injured Johnny Boychuk. The Islanders expected the Panthers to come out strong after taking a loss in Game 1, and expectation turned into reality when Mike Hoffman scored in the high slot two seconds after a Panthers’ power-play expired to give them a 1-0 lead.

During the second period, the Islanders took control. Tom Kuhnhackl beautifully dropped a pass between his legs to Matt Martin who tied the game at one. Shortly after, the Panthers went on the power-play, only for Alexander Barkov to give them a 2-1 lead. The Islanders have been able to transfer their frustration to persistence when down a goal. Ryan Pulock managed to tie the game on a slap-shot during an Islanders’ power-play. Finally, late in the period, Jordan Eberle tallied a power-play goal to put the Islanders’ up 3-2. The shots remained pretty balanced throughout the period, and with 40 seconds to go, a flurry of penalties occurred, including Brian Boyle receiving a ten-minute misconduct.

Playoff Jordan Eberle has officially returned, as Eberle net his second of the afternoon on a power-play to give the Islanders a two-goal lead. Florida pulled Sergei Bobrovsky with around 2:30, but they could not generate opportunities. The Islanders will have the opportunity to sweep the Panthers, 3-0, as they play the second half of a back-to-back Wednesday at noon after a dominant Game 2.

John Smark