After Jordan Eberle saved the New York Islanders’ season in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final, New York will have a chance to extend their season in Game 6 against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night in Edmonton. 

Game 5 was a very tightly contested contest, with Tampa Bay looking to get back to the Stanley Cup Final. However, the Islanders struck first on a Ryan Pulock power-play goal from the left wing side in the opening period. New York held the lead into the second, but Victor Hedman was left alone at the point and drove a slapper past Semyon Varlamov to tie it four minutes into the frame.

Tampa Bay seemed to have taken the lead around the midway point of the period when Carter Verhaeghe fired one past Varlamov, but the Islanders challenged for offsides and were successful. Tampa had the better of the play for the remainder of the game, but the Islanders stood to the task.

After a four-minute penalty kill between the end of the third period and overtime and several big saves by Semyon Varlamov, the game went to double-overtime. It took until the halfway mark of the frame for Anders Lee and Eberle to break out on a two-on-one. The Islanders’ captain tossed the puck across for Eberle and he fired it past Andrei Vasilevskiy.

The lineups for both teams are once again in the air. With Brayden Point suffering an injury in Game 4, he was out of the lineup last game, and his status is a game time decision.

“In this situation, I’m hoping it’s not the last time we’re going to see [Point] and we might be able to see him as early as tomorrow night. I don’t have the answer for that,” coach Jon Cooper said Wednesday. “But … we put the player first and then we just go from there.”

Meanwhile, the Islanders also have question marks for different reasons. Losing Casey Cizikas and falling behind three games to one in the series left the Islanders in desperation mode moving forward. As a result, New York threw the lines into a blender for Game 5 and were ultimately successful with such strategy.

With the Islanders looking to continue the momentum, it is unknown whether the blending will continue or if the line combinations will be the same as the previous game. Either way, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Islanders roll 11 forwards and seven defensemen once again.

Tonight will be a huge game for both teams moving forward. If the Lightning win, they will have a chance to avenge their several losses in the Eastern Conference Final in the past few years and make the Stanley Cup Final once again. However, the Islanders have a chance to get the series back to a deadlock and send the series to Game 7. With each team looking to get off to a hot start early, expect a very tightly contested game that can go either way.

Puck drop for Game 6 between the Islanders and Lightning is at 8 p.m. EST.

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.