Mat Barzal's Mid-Air Strike Lifts Islanders To Game 4 Win, Tying Series With Bruins At 2-2
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Bruins and the Islanders are all knotted up at two games apiece.
The second-round playoff series has been as tight as can be ever since the end of Game 1, and Saturday night's Game 4 was no different. The Islanders erased a 1-0 deficit in the second period for finally seizing a lead with less than seven minutes left in the third period en route to a 4-1 victory.
Casey Cizikas -- who scored the overtime winner for New York in Game 2 -- added an empty-net goal with 1:03 left, and J.G. Pageau scored another empty-net goal with 2.4 seconds left to ice the victory.
With the win, the Islanders tied the series at 2-2, as the two teams have split games in their own buildings thus far.
Tuukka Rask made 30 saves in a losing effort for Boston. Semyon Varlamov made 28 saves for the victors.
Mathew Barzal gave the Islanders a 2-1 lead with just under seven minutes remaining in regulation when he batted a puck out of mid-air past Rask, who never saw the initial shot from the point by Scott Mayfield.
That goal broke a 1-1 tie that had held for more than 26 minutes.
David Krejci got the scoring started when he patiently stood outside of the Islanders crease as a mad scramble broke out in front of Varlamov. Eventually the puck bounced out to Krejci, who calmly and patiently sized up his shot. Krejci fired the puck to the back of the net to give Boston a 1-0 lead 3:57 into the second period.
Islanders head coach Barry Trotz challenged the goal for goaltender interference. Brad Marchand's stick was entangled with Varlamov's left skate, but the NHL ruled that the contact didn't rise to the level of goaltender interference, so the goal call was upheld.
The Bruins didn't score on the resulting power play for the failed challenge, and less than a minute after that penalty expired, the Islanders scored the equalizer. Mathew Barzal wreaked some havoc in the offensive end, drawing a penalty before skating behind the net and feeding Kyle Palmieri in the slot. Palmieri scored with ease from a dangerous area to tie the game at 1-1.
No goals were scored in the opening period, but there was plenty of action. Taylor Hall dropped the mitts for his first fight in a decade, and David Pastrnak hit the post on a one-time attempt where he had the entire net open:
Nassau Coliseum once again hosted about 12,000 fans, better than 86 percent of its usual capacity.
Game 5 will be Monday night in Boston, with an early start time of 6:30 p.m. ET.
