Casey Cizikas scored a breakaway goal in overtime on Monday night, as the New York Islanders evened their second round playoff series with the Boston Bruins with a 4-3 win at TD Garden in Boston. The best of seven is now 1-1.
Boston picked up in the first period where they left off in a Game 1 win, controlling play early on and getting the first marker of the night. Charlie Coyle took advantage of a New York turnover at center ice, and took a pass across the blue line from Karson Kuhlman. Coyle dangled into the left faceoff circle on his backhand around a defender, cutting to the front of the net and tucking it in on his forehand at 2:38 for a 1-0 lead.
New York got their game going with a strong forecheck in the second period to score three goals and looked to of taken a stranglehold on the game. Josh Bailey tallied on the powerplay at 6:52, followed by a Kyle Palmieri goal at 11:00 for a 2-1 advantage. The Islanders would add another at 17:21 with the extra man by Jean-Gabriel Pageau for a 3-1 lead after 40 minutes.
There was no quit before a full house for Boston, rallying to send the game to overtime in the third. Goaltender Tuuka Rask made several key and Grade A saves with the score 3-1 to keep his team in the game. Almost halfway through the stanza, Brad Marchand along the right wing boards spotted Patrice Bergeron in the high slot. Bergeron one-timed his pass into the net at 10:34 to cut it to a goal and give the B’s a chance with plenty of time left. Marchand then got in on the act on the powerplay after New York was called for too many men on the ice to send the game to the extra session. Marchand from the left wing boards got it to the point for Charlie McAvoy, who sent it right back to Marchand in the left faceoff circle where he was wide open and had time to step into a heavy wrister through traffic that went into the back of the cage at 15:06.
Both teams had golden opportunities in the overtime. David Pastrnak shot a one-timer off the side of the net for the Bruins, and later Tyler Hall had a Grade A chance in front of Islanders goaltender Semyon Valarmov that was turned away. The game winner was scored at 14:48 when Jeremy Lauzon tried to make a cross ice pass at the New York blue line, but the attempt hit a skate and sent Cizikas in alone who made no mistake and finished on the other end on Rask to tie the series.
Rask finished with 35 saves in the loss. Marchand had a goal and an assist. Valarmov made 39 stops to help the Islanders to the win, starting the game in place of Game 1 starter Ilya Sorokin. Pageau and Palmeiri both had a goal and an assist. New York was 2-3 on the powerplay, while Boston went 1-2. The series now shifts to New York for the next two games at Nasseau Coliseum in Uniondale, starting with Game 3 Thursday night at 7:30.
