The Eastern Conference's top team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, has had its hands full through the first three games of their first round series with the scrappy New York Islanders. Game 4 is tonight, at 7:00 p.m. and will be broadcast on NBC Sports Network. Fans of the two teams can listen to the action at WHRU, WBBR, 105.9 The X, and 90.7 ESPN. The game can be live streamed free here.
A largely inexperienced group, the Islanders looked shell shocked and badly overmatched after being slaughtered 5-0 in the first game of the series. In Game 2, the Islanders went down 3-1 and Pittsburgh appeared to be in position to send the series into cruise control.
The Islanders awoke in Game 2, however, scoring three unanswered goals and shocking the heavily favored Penguins on their home ice to tie the series 1-1. In Game 3, in front of an ear-splitting Nassau Coliseum audience, the Isles leapt out in front of the Penguins 2-0, then fell behind 4-2, before rallying once more to send the game into overtime. Pittsburgh eventually pulled out the road win, and leads the series 2-1.
Evgeni Malkin has given the Islanders fits in this series; he has a series leading six points in just three games. Another crucial aspect of the game in which the Penguins have dominated is the power play. Islanders defenseman Andrew McDonald acknowledged that when speaking with reporters.
"Our penalty kill has to be better. The best way to do that is to stay out of the box. Those can end up killing us." Pittsburgh has lit the Islanders up six times in 13 power play opportunities. Due to the Penguins' vast array of offensive weaponry, the best way for the Islanders to fix the issue is to simply stay out of the penalty box.
Islanders head coach Jack Capuano commented on the penalty kill woes, saying, "We've got to be more disciplined. No question. The penalty kill is something we've got to clean up. But discipline with and without the puck is a big part of the game, and with their quickness we've got to make sure we defend a little bit harder and a little bit smarter."
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