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Carolina Hurricanes: Three Keys to a Game 3 Victory

By Robert Leonard

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 26: The Carolina Hurricanes celebrates a 1-0 overtime win over the New York Islanders in Game One of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Barclays Center on April 26, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 26: The Carolina Hurricanes celebrates a 1-0 overtime win over the New York Islanders in Game One of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Barclays Center on April 26, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 26: Justin Faulk #27 and Brock McGinn #23 of the Carolina Hurricanes hold up Cal Clutterbuck #15 of the New York Islanders in Game One of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Barclays Center on April 26, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 26: Justin Faulk #27 and Brock McGinn #23 of the Carolina Hurricanes hold up Cal Clutterbuck #15 of the New York Islanders in Game One of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Barclays Center on April 26, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

Match the Islanders’ Intensity

Asking for intensity from a team that is finally returning home- the first time since the epic Game 7 win against the Washington Capitals – might seem like a reach. If you cannot get energized and ready in this situation, both as fan and a player, when can you?

But put yourself in the Islanders’ shoes here; a Game 3 loss basically ends your season. Teams trailing 3-0 in NHL history have only won four times and there is only one example of this in MLB and the NBA combined. History, momentum and basic logic is simply not on your side.

Expect the Islanders to come out with everything they have and simply not be rattled by PNC Arena’s expected energy or the hole they are in. What does this mean for Carolina? Fore-checking, big hits, skating hard and winning puck battles on the boards. Little things curtail opposing intensity and creates your own.

Barry Trotz has already set up a standard for the Islanders coming in to PNC Arena: win both games in Carolina. That will be the only way this Islander team can create any momentum to push this series to 6 or 7 games.

The Islanders have their backs to the wall coming in to two games against a team with a very loud fanbase. The trick is to replicate what Columbus did against the Lightning. Use the home ice advantage to push further, not slow down. The Islanders will push hard. It will be critical to push just as hard.

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