Islanders rediscover mojo to tie series with Game 4 win over Penguins
NY Post
It took them until Game 4 of their first-round series against the Penguins, but the Islanders rediscovered their brand of hockey.
Rookie goaltender Ilya Sorokin made 29 saves and the Islanders showed the grip they can have on a game when they’re playing to their strengths in a 4-1 victory at Nassau Coliseum on Saturday afternoon. The Islanders were heavy in all areas of the ice, suffocating along the boards and in control of their rushes. Oliver Wahlstrom and Ryan Pulock each had a goal and an assist as the Islanders’ signature style of play came through just in time to even up the series, 2-2, before the teams head back to Pittsburgh for Game 5 on Monday night.It was only a three-second glimpse, but Matt Rempe, finally, showcased offensive strides. The ones he started talking about in the preseason — after a summer’s worth of work — and kept doubling down on, even when he fluctuated in and out of the Rangers lineup and shuttled back and forth to AHL Hartford.
In a different time, in a season to come, we may be inclined to wax poetic about the way this one played out. In a different time, in a season to come, the Nets will be seeking to stack wins and not losses, will be fighting for playoff seeding and not for a few extra ping-pong balls in the draft lottery this spring.
The NBA has an All-Star Game problem. Despite Adam Silver’s efforts to inject juice into the February showcase — including a format alteration to the 2025 game that is too confusing to attempt to understand before it’s inevitably changed again — there’s little interest in watching teams eschew defense for a series of layup line highlights. That also means the most entertaining part of the NBA All-Star Game is just like the Pro Bowl — debating over who should get a spot.