The New York Islanders tied the series against the Boston Bruins. To do this, they signed a win of 4 to 3 in overtime, Monday night at TD Garden, as part of the second clash between the two clubs.
It was Casey Cizikas who played the heroes in overtime. The 30-year-old forward took possession of the puck after a “Oursons” error in the offensive zone. He sped alone past goaltender Tuukka Rask and beat him with a good shot into the top of the net.
The “Islanders” seemed to be heading for a win on a regular basis, but the Bruins found a way to tie the game in the third period. Trailing 3-1 after 40 minutes, the crowd favorites forced overtime thanks to successes from Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand.
In the previous engagement, the Islanders hit the target three times. Josh Bailey first leveled the score with his fourth playoff victory. Taking advantage of a man advantage, the 31-year-old veteran wanted to join a teammate and his pass deflected onto an opposing skate. The puck then made its way between Rask’s pads.
Moments later, Kyle Palmieri showed persistence in front of the opposing net and was rewarded when he saw the disc cross the red line.
Then, the New Yorkers again took advantage of the indiscipline of their opponents. Jean-Gabriel Pageau benefited from a magnificent relay from Anthony Beauvillier to move the ropes.
Crowd favorites had been the first to sign up for the brand. In the first half, Charlie Coyle maneuvered well in the opposing zone and beat goalkeeper Semyon Varlamov.
The latter got his first start since the second meeting of the first-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was preferred over Ilya Sorokin, who helped the Islanders advance to the second round. The first-year goaltender gave the Bruins four goals in the opening match, however, and visibly lost his coach’s confidence.
In today’s duel, Varlamov repelled 39 of 42 pucks his rivals sent towards his net. At the other end of the ice, Rask faced 39 shots.
The series is now moving to Long Island for the next two duels. The two formations will therefore meet Thursday evening at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
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