It was another Game 2 of another playoff series of the second round three years ago when Alain Vigneault was on the wrong end of another late third period of goal-scoring from Jean-Gabriel Pageau.
Flashback City.
It was 2017, Vigneault was behind Rangers’ bench, Pageau played for Ottawa, and not only did the center tie the score with a hat-trick goal, but soon added a fourth to win 2:54 in overtime in a series the Senators caught in six.
The agreements end there, however. Vigneault is now coach of the Flyers. Pageau is now playing for the Islanders following his acquisition on this year’s deadline. And in this, Pageau really could not add anyone else in OT nor any of his teammates.
Instead, Philippe Myers was the winner for Philadelphia at 2:41 of extra time for a 4-3 victory in an El Toro of an eight-lane game to tie this series one-on-one with Game 3 set for Thursday night.
It was an amusement park ride, in order, even if there was no cotton candy for the Islanders or Semyon Varlamov, who entered the game with a shutout streak of 136: 20 and 182 from the 188 shots on five- against-five had stopped. he had to make it into the playoffs (.968) before conceding three goals on nine five-on-five shots before being drawn at 15:09 of the first period in favor of Thomas Greiss.
It was 3-0 against, with the big boys from Philly delivering the fireworks. Kevin Hayes scored twice. Sean Couturier scored the third goal. Claude Giroux was on his toes. The Flyers won field battles. The Islanders looked lost.
They were not.
“We were reluctant,” said Anders Lee, who obviously blamed the team instead of the goalkeeper for problems in the first period. “Of course it was not the first period we would have, but I think at the same time we also understood that there was enough play left and a lot of things could happen, so if we just keep busy, stay positive, we will find a way and that’s exactly what we did. ”
Attention to detail was something to be wished for. The Islanders could never get their impressive ground play fully underway and have never quite marked the area under the offensive zone’s hash the way they did in Monday’s 4-0 triumph. Their holes were not so tight in providing too many chances and looking away from the hustle and bustle. The bottom six strikers, essentially in Game 1, could not match that performance, Ross Johnston getting two shifts after the second period, Leo Komarov, three, and Matt Martin, four.
“We guess, I think, that’s probably the best term to use in some of our decisions,” said coach Barry Trotz. “And they were poor.”
But the Islanders were able to reverse that roller coaster, which is not easy to do. They did it by persevering, yes, of course, and by praising their game, yes, of course, but they did it with their talent.
The talent they probably do not have.
The Lee-Mat Barzal-Jordan Eberle line was dynamic, even earlier. Anthony Beauvillier, who has a break-out playoffs, increased alongside Brock Nelson and Josh Bailey. The Islanders were fast and creative and worked their way back into the game.
It was Lee with a power-play redirect from for a nice Barzal feed to cut the lead to 3-1 at 11:45 from the second period. It was Beauvillier who made it 3-2 at 11:11 from a striker exchange with Bailey for his seventh goal in 11 games. And then there was the Pageau of the castle with a laser over Carter Hart’s left shoulder to bind it after the islanders had the zone.
It all went for the Islanders to Pageau’s goal, as it did for the Senators three years ago. Well, without the home crowd. Well, without crowds. But they had more on their side than momentum. They had a powerful game immediately after the equalizer because Vigneault’s challenge of an offside on the game was wrong.
“My mistake,” he said.
But Carter Hart made no mistake when Bailey had a glorious chance to score the (and probably, winning) goal. The rookie no less got his right shoulder on the shot and that was pretty much it for the Islanders, who, by extension, strangely shone in the glare.
That put up the drawing and order of the offensive zone that started with Giroux beating Barzal on the spot and ending with the puck in Greiss’ back net. The roller coaster ride was over.
Next ride is scheduled for Thursday.
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