Matt Barzal deflects Robert Bertuzzi's shot early in the second overtime of Game 4 on Long Island to give the Islanders their first win in the series and secure at least one more game against the highly anticipated Carolina Hurricanes. The season was extended.
The winning goal was Barzal's second goal of the game and his only goal of the second period, tying the score at 1-1.
This was also a pain. Semyon Varlamov returned to the net and continued his strong work throughout this series, making 42 saves.
On paper, the Isles held a third-period lead on JG Pageau's PPG, but they couldn't protect it and Stephan Norsen forced OT with just under six minutes left.
OT was a close game, allowing a hogtie between the players, but Bo Horvat and Barzal each made good plays behind the net, leading to Bortuzzo's shot and Brady Skjei with the Long Island crowd erupting. fell on top of Frederik Andersen.
#Isles Robert Bortuzzo describes the OT assistant's thought process for Barzal:
“Pax on the net. That's what Patty (Roy) preached.”
“Goals in extra time are a bit strange. Sometimes they're not really pretty, but they're never unimportant.”
— Nick Palmer (@nickpalmer55) April 27, 2024
It's only been one game and the odds are still long and ugly, but finally… finally, they could have a moment in this emotionally draining and frustrating season.
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Game 5 will be played again Tuesday in Raleigh. The odds may not be good, but things could get interesting if things go well.
