The Islanders and Penguins split the first two games of their series. Game 3 will have an enormous impact on the series, and the Islanders will have home-ice advantage.

The Islanders escaped Pittsburgh with the series tied 1-1. Now, the second-best home team in the entire league will try to win both of their home games to try and clinch the first-round series Monday in Pittsburgh.

The Islanders stole Game 1 on the road 4-3 with a Kyle Palmieri overtime winner. Palmieri also had a goal in regulation, and so did Brock Nelson and Jean-Gabriel Pageau. Pageau tacked on two assists as well. Frederick Gaudreau, Sidney Crosby, and Kasperi Kapanen scored the goals for Pittsburgh. Since Semyon Varlamov was not fully healthy, Ilya Sorokin started in net. Sorokin played well, stopping 39 of 42 shots. All of the goals Sorokin allowed were tough shots. The Islanders were sloppy at times but stuck with the speedy Penguins to get the close win.

Just one goal decided Game 2 as well, but not for the same side. The Penguins won 2-1 in front of over 9,000 fans, their biggest crowd since the beginning of the pandemic. Deemed fully healthy, the Islanders chose to start Semyon Varlamov this time in Pittsburgh. Varlamov allowed two weak goals early in the game and fans were having doubts about the decision to start him.

Even if Varlamov was healthy, it was still his first game in over a week. However, he turned it around for the rest of the game. Varlamov shut the door in the final 47 minutes of the game. Unfortunately, the Islanders’ offense was not clicking and couldn’t tie the game. Josh Bailey had the lone Islanders’ goal in the loss.

But now the Islanders get to return home, where they’ll have the support of their fans. “It just gets me excited to get back to the [Nassau Coliseum],” defenseman Scott Mayfield told the New York Post after the Game 2 loss.

Despite some rocky patches in Games 1 and 2, the Islanders can’t be upset after splitting the first two games on the road. Pittsburgh is a difficult place to play. They had the best home record in the entire league. I think the Islanders knew that defeating the Penguins would be a difficult feat.

Luckily, the next two games will be back home at the Nassau Coliseum. Game 3 will be played at 7 p.m. on Thursday, and Game 4 at 3 p.m. on Saturday. There’s a good chance Varlamov starts again for Game 3, and possibly Game 4 if he continues to play well. The home team wins over 55% of playoff games since 2017, according to Sports-Reference.com. This makes the likelihood of the Islanders losing both games at home very unlikely. However, they have a solid chance to win both, which would give them a commanding 3-1 series lead.

But head coach Barry Trotz feels that the fans will give the Islanders an added boost these next two games. “That’s what we’re looking forward to when we get back to the Island. Our fans will hopefully give us that boost that we need to get over the top,” he told the New York Post.

However, the teams might split the two-game set once again and the series would remain tied. That would make Monday’s game five in Pittsburgh crucial, as it will determine who can win the series in Game 6.

Another huge advantage for the Islanders being at home is the fans. For the first time since the pandemic, the Islanders will be allowed about 6,250 fans, about 50% capacity. It will be the Islanders’ first home playoff game with fans since April 28, 2019. So, Islanders fans will be very excited to kick off the final postseason run at Fort Neverlose.

Ben Kule

Die-Hard Islanders fan and writer from Plainview, Long Island, NY. I have a passion and knowledge for this team and I enjoy sharing that with others