NYHN Daily: Islanders Steal Game 5 to Take 3-2 Series Lead & More

The New York Islanders had no business winning Game 5 on the road. Yet a come-from-behind effort in the third and a miscue by Penguins netminder Tristan Jarry in double overtime gave the Islanders a 3-2 win and a series lead. Islanders netminder Ilya Sorokin bailed his team out while Josh Bailey netted the overtime winner. Oliver Wahlstrom took a hard hit in the third and is considered day-to-day. These stories and more in today’s daily links!

If Barry Trotz wasn’t aware of the Josh Bailey song after before Game 4, the New York Islanders head coach will be more than familiar with it by the time the team’s flight lands back on Long Island. Bailey played the hero on Monday night, along with Ilya Sorokin, delivering the game-winning goal 51 seconds into double overtime to give the Islanders a 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. It was the heist of the century. (NYI Hockey Now)

The New York Islanders did not play their best game Monday night. Not even close, in fact. But thanks to the heroics of Ilya Sorokin and Josh Bailey they skated to a 3-2 double OT win over the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series. With one more win, the Islanders would move on to the second round of the postseason for the third straight season. Let’s take a look at the finer points from this lengthy thriller. (NYI Hockey Now)

It was a sight that no one wanted to see. Oliver Wahlstrom down on the ice after an awkward collision with Pittsburgh Penguins defender Mike Matheson that sent the rookie off the boards and his head violently bouncing from one side to the other during Monday’s 3-2 comeback win in Game 5. He is considered day-to-day. (NYI Hockey Now)

After 40 minutes of hockey proved that rookie goalie Ilya Sorokin deserved to win but the rest of the Islanders did not, Barry Trotz had a simple message during the second intermission Monday night. “I said, ‘Enough is enough, boys,’ ” the coach recounted. ” ‘We need everybody.’ Eventually he got the hard effort he was looking for. (Newsday)

Islanders rookie nemtinder Ilya Sorokin put the team on his back as he made 48 saves in the double OT thriller. “He was outstanding,” said head coach Barry Trotz. (Newsday)

The Pittsburgh Penguins could have had mail delivered to the New York Islanders zone for nearly 60 minutes. Despite more than doubling New York’s shot total and greatly out-chancing New York, the Penguins lost another third-period lead, and the deafening PPG Paints Arena crowd had to wait for a conclusion. That conclusion came early in double overtime after a Jarry turnover as the Penguins are in a win-or-go-home situation. (Pittsburgh Hockey Now)

One round into the playoffs, the Boston Bruins have already ruled a couple of roster players out for the rest of the postseason. Ondrej Kase won’t return this postseason for the Black and Gold after suffering an upper-body injury in his first game back from a lengthy absence due to a concussion, and defenseman Steve Kampfer is also done for the Stanley Cup playoffs after undergoing hand surgery. (Boston Hockey Now)

The Tampa Bay Lightning got Game 5 started exactly the way it wanted, scoring on a 2-on-1 less than a minute into its playoff game with the Florida Panthers. With a 20-year-old rookie in net and holding a 3-1 series lead, things looked really good for the defending champion Lightning. Only the Panthers were not going out that easy. Spencer Knight, making his NHL playoff debut in net for the home-standing Panthers, looked like a cagey veteran as he stopped the next 36 shots he faced and Florida found some room against Andrei Vasilevskiy to win 4-1 at BB&T Center. (Florida Hockey Now)

Needing a victory to advance in the NHL playoffs, the Vegas Golden Knights instead dropped a difficult 4-2 decision to the Minnesota Wild on Monday night. Vegas now leads the series 3-2. (Vegas Hockey Now)

On an off day, Adrian Dater gives tips to hockey players looking to play collegiately or just looking to take their game to the next level. (Colorado Hockey Now)

The San Jose Sharks are moving on from Martin Jones, right? “Our goaltending has to be better,” GM Doug Wilson said in his recent exit interview. Jones has an .896 Save % over the last three seasons, tied with Jonathan Quick for worst among all NHL goaltenders (75+ games). Safe to say, that needs to be better, and after three straight seasons of sub-.900 save percentages, better probably isn’t coming from Jones. But buying Jones out is not that easy. (San Jose Hockey Now)