On Thursday night, the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins took the ice at the Nassau Coliseum in Game 3 after splitting the first two games in Pittsburgh. It was a game to remember.

In Game 3, the Islanders threw everything they had at the Pittsburgh Penguins. However, the Penguins had an answer for everything. Despite the Islanders coming back from down 3-1 in the third period and then tying the game up again at four late in the third period, the Penguins came up victorious.

The Islanders were persistent, aggressive and every other adjective in the book to describe a team that gave it their absolute all to win a hockey game. Nonetheless, the Islanders found themselves in a 2-1 series deficit.

In this game, the Penguins have had an answer for the Islanders every time they tried to gain momentum. No matter what the Islanders did, the Penguins always seemed to have a response.

“When you are chasing the series the whole time, you leave yourself exposed because you are pushing harder in some areas,” said Islanders head coach Barry Trotz. 

A lesson the Islander can take from this game is if the Islanders score first, they will be in a good position.

In Game 2, the Penguins got on the board in just three minutes and 22 seconds and in Game 3, it only took them two minutes and one second. After they find the early lead, the Penguins are beating the Islanders with their own game:

• Getting pucks deep in the offensive zone.
• Being hard on the forecheck.
• Beating the Islanders to loose pucks.

With Game 6 tomorrow and the Islanders returning to Nassau Coliseum, they need to take some lessons from Game 3 and do everything they can to win a hockey game.

Ethan Halle

Ethan is an Economics Major at the University of Florida looking to pursue a double major in Sports Management with a minor in political science.