Islanders Playoff News: Sorokin stole the game and the show, but Bailey got the winner

It’s not often that your team wins a game in double-overtime behind a 48-save performance from its rookie goalie. But the New York Islanders, thanks to Ilya Sorokin, did just that, thieving Game 5 from the Pittsburgh Penguins and coming back to Long Island for Game 6 with a chance to advance.

The Islanders really did not deserve that victory, but in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, you take the wins any way that you can get them.

Game 6 on Wednesday night gets the early game treatment: It will be a 6:30 p.m. ET start.

Islanders Playoffs News

Recaps from a stolen Game 5:

• Ilya Sorokin absolutely robbed the Penguins, and Josh Bailey recorded his second career playoff overtime goal, both against Pittsburgh. [LHH]
• Jordan Eberle and Anthony Beauvillier are getting hot at the right time. [Islanders 5 Takeaways]
• The Penguins dominated most of regulation, but the Islanders found a way to win. [Newsday]
• The Isles have put the Pens on the brink of elimination with a chance to clinch the series at back at the Coliseum in Game 6. [NHL]
• With the weak first 50 minutes, Sorokin was, without a shadow of a doubt, the key to the win. [Best @ Newsday]
• Some photos from the weathered storm. [Newsday]
• Barry Trotz said that Oliver Wahlstrom, injured in the third period, is probably day-to-day. He also had lots of love for Sorokin and pleas for the fans on Wednesday.

• Chris King is all of us.

Non-recap news:

• A fitting pre-game story: Bailey’s song, with which the crowd serenaded him loudly when he opened the scoring in Saturday’s Game 4, has brought him national airtime. [Newsday]
• With a series so back-and-forth, it is imperative that the Islanders remain even-keeled. [Islanders]
• They know that from their growing playoff experience, and it helps that so many of them have played with each other for years. [Newsday]
• The Isles’ blue line has provided an offensive boost in this series. [Islanders]
• And until last night, the Islanders had done a bang-up job in shutting down Sidney Crosby and his line. [Newsday]

Regular Islanders News

• The Islanders threw a baby shower for over two dozen expectant military moms. [Islanders]
• This (Yester)Day in Isles History: John Tonelli fed Bob Nystrom for the Stanley Cup-winning overtime goal in Game 6 of the 1980 Stanley Cup Final against the Philadelphia Flyers.
• This team now has an official printing company partner. Get excited. [Islanders]

Beyond Long Island and Pittsburgh

Last night was our first five-game night of this postseason, and some were really good. The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Montreal Canadiens to take a 2-1 series lead. The Florida Panthers, behind rookie goalie Spencer Knight, staved off elimination by beating the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 5; the Minnesota Wild did the same behind Cam Talbot, surviving the onslaught of the Vegas Golden Knights. And ours was not the only game that reached double-overtime: so, too, did the Winnipeg Jets and Edmonton Oilers. In fact, that one reached triple-overtime before the Jets completed the sweep.

Darnell Nurse played A TON with Edmonton facing elimination. This is after the first overtime:

Here’s his sum total:

We love some Oilers drama. Don’t we, folks? The Game 3 third period collapse all but doomed their season. [Edmonton Journal]

Alex Ovechkin is still recovering from an injury, possibly the one he suffered against the Islanders at the end of the regular season, and will not join Team Russia at the World Championships. [NHL]