Islanders x-factor and winners in series win over Penguins

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The Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Islanders shake hands following the Islanders 5-3 victory. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

With a 4-2 series win, the New York Islanders will advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Here are a few players who had a decisive role in the series win.

When it was all said and done the New York Islanders took round-one in six games over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Remember, the Pens were the number one seed while the Islanders were the number four in the MassMutual East Division. The Isles were the underdogs here.

And look, it wasn’t easy. While the Islanders won the series, you can’t say they were the better team through the entire six games. Heck, they shouldn’t have even won Game 5. But good teams find a way to make it work.

And while hockey is certainly a team game, this series was won thanks to some key individual contributions. Let’s look at some of those key contributions.

Like, who was the decisive x-factor for the Islanders? By that, I mean the one player who had the biggest positive influence on the team that we didn’t really see coming.

Then, let’s look at three winners for the Islanders. And by that, I mean three contributors that lead the way for the Islanders to take this series.

Ilya Sorokin #30 of the New York Islanders. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

X-Factor: Ilya Sorokin

You might be thinking: “how is Ilya Sorokin an x-factor? We knew he was a good player before the series began.”

And that’s certainly true. We knew Ilya Sorokin‘s quality going into the playoffs. But going into the series against Pittsburgh we didn’t think Sorokin would ever see the crease. Sure, Varly seemed to have picked up an owie in the final game of the regular season, but Barry Trotz assured anyone who would listen that Varly would be fine.

After all, it was Varlamov’s crease. The veteran Russian keeper had a Vezina trophy-worthy season with a 0.929SV%, 2.04GAA, and seven shutouts in 36 games (34 starts). If Varly was healthy he was going to start and that’s why he played Games 2 and 3. Even though Sorokin was phenomenal in Game 1.

But when Varlamov wasn’t his usual self in Games 2 and 3, Trotz went back to his younger shot-stopper to stop the bleeding and help his team get back in the series. The performance he got out of Sorokin in Game 5 was legendary.

There’s no question that the Islanders were the second-best team in Game 5. Sorokin stopped 48 of the 50 shots he faced. If not for Sorokin’s performance that night the Islanders get run out of Pittsburgh and hope to stave off elimination in Game 6.

Instead, thanks to Sorokin, the Islanders were able to return home to end the series.

Again, he wasn’t supposed to play. Varlamov was supposed to lead the team through the postseason. That’s why Sorokin is the series X-Factor.

Anthony Beauvillier #18 of the New York Islanders. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

Winners

Anthony Beauvillier | 3G, 4A, 7 Points

Beau knows playoffs. For the second year in a row, Anthony Beauvillier leads the way for the New York Islanders in the postseason. Over the last two years, Beau has 21 points in 28 playoff games.

The only players with more playoff production on the Isles are his two linemates: Josh Bailey with 26 points and Brock Nelson with 24 points both in 28 games.

The kid who just loves to have fun absolutely loves the playoffs.

Oh, and remember, the Islanders have Beauvillier because of two draft-day trades in 2015. First, it was picking up a second-rounder from Edmonton in the Reinhart deal, then it was sending that second and a Florida second to Tampa for the 28th overall.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau | 1G, 6A, 7 Points

Imagine being someone who thought trading for Jean-Gabriel Pageau was a bad idea or not worth the cost. The amount of pie on that person’s face after a year-plus of Pageau doing everything he was doing in Ottawa would probably suffocate them.

The Islanders 2020 trade deadline acquisition has seven-point in six games against the Penguins and is the co-leader in production on the team.

His play on and off the puck has been vital to the Islanders system. Pageau has won 52.9% of his draws in the playoffs. Only four players have taken more faceoffs in the playoffs and only one has a better success rate; Patrice Bergeron at 58.5%.

Adam Pelech | Kept Crosby silent

For the second series in a row, the New York Islanders have been able to keep Sidney Crosby quiet. Over six games in this series the Penguins captain had two points. Add his production from this series to the production he had in the 2019 series and Crosby has three points in ten games.

And Adam Pelech has a lot to do with that. No skater has more 5on5 ice time over the last two Isles-Pens series against Crosby than Pelech (67:07 in 2021 and 41:27 in 2019). Pelech is easily one of the better defensive-defensemen in the NHL, his ability to keep the second-best player in the NHL quiet over two series confirms that.

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