5 Things the New York Islanders Must Do To Sweep the Pittsburgh Penguins

May 7, 2013; Uniondale, NY, USA; New York Islanders celebrate scoring during the third period against the Pittsburgh Penguins in game four of the first round of the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Islanders won 6-4. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports /

Against all odds, the New York Islanders are preparing for their Game 5 showdown with the Pittsburgh Penguins after tying the series 2-2 in front of the home crowd in Nassau Coliseum. Sending the series back to Pittsburgh tied is a gigantic shock to the hockey world but it’s a massive boost to the Islanders chances of upsetting the Pens and continuing this magical run.

But before they even think about moving on, the Isles need to recognize five things they must to in order to pull off the upset and shock the entire NHL by ousting the 1-seeded Pittsburgh Penguins.

May 5, 2013; Uniondale, NY, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (29) gets a glove on the stick of New York Islanders center Josh Bailey (12) to stop an attempt during the third period in game three of the first round of the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Continue to Attack Marc Andre-Fleury

The Isles have absolutely bombarded the Pens netminder through four games in this series so far. Despite not being on anyone’s radar, the Isles have scored a grand total of 14 goals in four games on Pittsburgh which is a major reason why they’re even in this series at this point. As the old saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it and there seems to be nothing wrong with New York’s scoring at the moment. Marc Andre-Fleury is getting rattled between the pipes and it’s a total advantage for the Isles right now.

May 7, 2013; Uniondale, NY, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Chris Kunitz (14) falls from a check by New York Islanders defenseman Travis Hamonic (3) during the second period in game four of the first round of the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Lock Down Defensively

While the Isles are lighting things up in terms of scoring goals, they’ve found themselves needing to score those goals to win rather than just scoring them to run it in the Pens faces. If the Isles are serious about not just beating the Pens but making a run in the Eastern Conference, than they need to start locking down defensively as winning games 6-4 will only last so long. The Pens aren’t push overs and they feel the heat more than anyone right now. As the 1-seed and the second best team in hockey, the pressure is on and the Pens know how to operate under pressure and succeed. Clamping down on the Pens offensive will help Evgeni Nabokov sleep a little better each night.

March 28, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) at the face-off circle against the Winnipeg Jets during the third period at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Pittsburgh Penguins won 4-0. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Stop Sidney Crosby From Being a Factor

This is a lot easier said than done, but it has to be at the top of the Isles priority list at the moment. Hockey isn’t s sport where you let a superstar get theirs and move on from there. Sure, we’ve been in 6-4 games but all it takes is one goal to beat you and they sometimes come at a premium in hockey. After returning in Game 2 of the series, Crosby has scored twice, been in on four assists and has had a total of 15 shots on goal. Crosby was also key in getting the Pens a Game 3 win after he drew a controversial holding penalty which put Pittsburgh on the power play. That just shows you he’s a factor in more than one way and the Isles cannot allow him to dictate this series or how things are run moving forward

May 7, 2013; Uniondale, NY, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (71) scores a goal on New York Islanders goalie Evgeni Nabokov (20) during the second period in game four of the first round of the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Don’t Get Tunnel Vision On Stopping Crosby

As was pointed out in the previous point, Crosby is a major factor in more than one way on the ice and one way he hurts you is by having a defense focus too much on him. He’s going to get into plays and while you cannot allow him to get his, you can’t take your focus off of the other Pens on the ice. This is a team stacked with talent, from old veterans like Jarome Iginla to the Hart Trophy winner from last year in Evgeni Malkin. Containing Crosby is a must but the Isles can’t afford to get tunnel vision or they’ll get burned elsewhere.

May 3, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; New York Islanders right wing Kyle Okposo (21) is greeted by the Islanders bench after scoring a goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the third period in game two of the first round of the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs at the CONSOL Energy Center. The New York Islanders won 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Spread the Puck Around Get Okposo, Tavares and the Young Talent

Both Kyle Ospoko and John Tavares have been outstanding for the Isles so far in this series and they’ll be major pieces of the puzzle moving forward. Both have combined for 5 of the Isles 14 goals this series and there looks to be plenty more of where that came from. But like the Pens and their deep roster, the Isles can’t go all-in on these two players as guys like Brian Strait and Casey Cizikas have stepped up big for the Isles and give New York dynamic options. This team is young, it’s quick and has tasted blood twice — and they like it. This team is playing with house money at this point as clearly their best days are ahead of them. But if they want a crash course in being an elite team, they need to beat the Pens and to do that they must continue to spread the puck and attack with all their young talent across the board.

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