Islanders beat the Penguins in Game 4

The Pittsburgh Penguins were had by the New York Islanders last night during Game 4, where the Islanders won 6-4. Coming out of the gate the Islanders were very aggressive on the fore-check and hitting hard. Brian Strait demonstrated skill as he scored through a cluster of bodies in front of the Penguins net, to open up scoring for the Islanders 1-0. The Penguins were struggling to carry the puck over the blue line but James Neil managed to answer the Islanders goal 45 second later with a goal to tie the game.  During the first period, goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury was performing well in light of all the pressure on him as the Islanders were out shooting the Penguins 10-7.  The second period began with a power play for the Islanders, not an ideal situation for the Penguins who have been playing a man down but were able to close lanes and successfully killed of the penalty making the Islanders 0-3 on the man advantage in Game 4. The Penguins, who are strong on the power play, scoring 6 power play goals in this series so far, were still looking for their first power play opportunity which came in the second period.  The Islanders gain another power play and score a goal by Mark Streit 2-1 and for the second time in this game the Penguins would answer with a goal of their own in less than 60 second to tie the game 2-2 by Malkin.  The Penguins briefly held their first lead in game 4 during the second period courtesy of a goal by Brandon Sutter, the son of a form NY Islander, 3-2.  The Islanders put up a good fight at the end of the second period to score and as it became apparent that the Penguins were having some kind of goalie trouble, as they end the period with a tied score once again, 3-3.  The Penguins rallied to come back with a goal in the beginning of the third period but the Islanders relentlessly put the pressure on the Penguins and Fleury during the third period to score and score, running the board up to 5-4. As the Penguins scrambled to turn the game around, still with Fleury in net with poor performance, Fleury basically ushers a puck right into the net, sealing the Penguins fate in Game 4. The Islanders win with a score of 6-4.

It’s been a surprising series, as the Islanders have been able to come back, tying the series 2-2 and they have to possibility to win this series even though initially they were never expected to do much of anything.  The Penguins are facing some major challenges late in this series that could cost them dearly, for a team that is so skilled, at times they play so poorly. The Islanders came back in Game 4 with problems from Game 3 corrected but the Penguins came back a little worse for the ware in Game 4 which lead to a loss.  The Islanders are now tied in the series and looking to take home more victories against the Penguins who could have an early departure from the race for the cup after round 1.