After the New York Islanders took a 2-1 series lead over the Philadelphia Flyers Saturday, August 29, the goal for the Isles was to push Philadelphia to the brink of elimination in game four on Sunday. However, New York was able to do just that behind two third period goals by Jean Gabriel Pageau and Brock Nelson and 36 saves from Thomas Greiss.

The main question for both sides heading into the game was the goaltending matchup. After Carter Hart and Semyon Varlamov played game three on Saturday night, it was unknown whether either side would go to its backup goalie for the back end of a back-to-back. As puck drop approached, the question was answered that Brian Elliot would start for Philadelphia and Greiss would start for New York. In fact, both goalies received their first Stanley Cup Playoff starts after multi-year absences. Greiss got his first postseason start since 2016, and Elliot got his first start playoff since 2018.

The opening period of this game would be scoreless. The Flyers came out with legs like they did in game three, and the Islanders were nearly burnt due to turnovers early. However, Greiss was sharp, making seven stops in the first period. The Islanders were able to pick up their game as the period went on and got 18 shots, but Elliot stopped all of them. Both teams went 0-1 on its power play as well.

In the second, the scoreless tie would remain until the 6:52 mark. Josh Bailey knocked a clearing pass down and set up Brock Nelson just outside the right dot, and Nelson would wire the puck top shelf on Elliot for his fourth of the playoffs to break the tie for the Islanders. However, following the goal, the Islanders would go into a shell and be outplayed for the remainder of the frame. As a result, the Flyers would capitalize after a Justin Braun shot was redirected by Sean Couterier at 15:19, his second of the postseason, and the Flyers would even the game heading to the third. After the shots were 4-2 in favor of Philadelphia when the Islander goal was scored, the Flyers would outshoot the Islanders 13-1 the rest of the way, a 17-3 deficit.

Needless to say, the Islanders needed a big response heading into the third. However, the team caught some momentum in the form of a late period save. Greiss made a desperate save on Sean Couterier in the final seconds of the middle frame, and that lit a fire in New York moving forward.

New York would return to its game to start the period, and the Islanders would get a big chance in transition. Pageau would find his way behind the defense and cash in a second chance effort to give the Islanders a 2-1 lead. The goal was Pageau’s seventh of the playoffs at 7:18 of the third, and the assists would go to Scott Mayfield and Devon Toews. Almost four minutes later, Anthony Beauvillier would send Bailey and Nelson on a two-on-one. Bailey would cross the puck to Nelson for the tap in, his second of the game, and the Islanders would go up 3-1 heading into the home stretch.

The Islanders would play a shutdown game until the Flyers pulled their goalie with less than three minutes to go. A few failed clears would lead to an Ivan Provorov shot beating Greiss through traffic to cut the lead to one. The scoring would read Provorov’s second from Kevin Hayes and Travis Sanheim at 18:55. The Flyers would call timeout, but the Islanders would regroup and shut Philadelphia down from there. Scott Mayfield in particular made a phenomenal effort to keep the puck pinned on the left wing boards in the Islanders end, and New York would wrap up a 3-2 victory to go up 3-1 in the series.

The Islanders would be outshot 14-12 in the final period, but Thomas Greiss would do his job here and all game long with 36 saves. Elliot also looked good for Philadelphia with 30 saves. Although the Islanders would pull out the victory, Barry Trotz said after the game it was the Islanders’ worst of the postseason. Both teams would look rather sloppy for stretches and give the other team looks, but the Islanders were able to get the job done at the end of the day.

The Islanders now have a 3-1 series lead and will look to advance to their first Conference Final since 1993. Game five will take place Tuesday at seven PM.

Matthew Page

I am a first year student at Hofstra University and an avid Islanders fan. I have been writing for Drive4Five since March 2020. My family has been season ticket holders for the team since 2016, and hockey is my favorite sport. As I expand my knowledge in the field of Journalism, I am writing to express my love for the Islanders and the NHL.