Casey Cizikas Scores OT Goal as Islanders Defeat Bruins in Game 2 to Even Series

The New York Islanders head home with a clean slate thanks to an overtime goal from Casey Cizikas.

After dropping Game 1 on Saturday, the Islanders used a three-goal second period to take a 3-1 advantage over the Boston Bruins and then survived a third-period revival from Boston's top line to earn the win in extra time.

For the Bruins, Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand both scored in the third period to force the overtime frame.

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Notable Performers

• Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Islanders: 1 goal, 1 assist
• Kyle Palmieri, Islanders: 1 goal, 1 assist
• Casey Cizikas, Islanders: 1 goal (GWG)
• Patrice Bergeron, Bruins: 1 goal
• Brad Marchand, Bruins: 1 goal, 1 assist
• Semyon Varlamov, Islanders: 39 saves
• Tuukka Rask, Bruins: 35 saves

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Isles Power Play Changes Pace
The Islanders, like Boston, were still without one of their depth pieces Monday. Oliver Wahlstrom, who suffered an injury in Game 5 of their first-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins, has yet to appear again.

The 20-year-old had a goal and two helpers through his five postseason outings and tallied 12 goals and nine assists during the regular season.

In another lineup change, the Islanders also elected to use Samyon Varlamov in net after Ilya Sorokin gave up four goals in Game 1 of the series. That likely didn't work out as the Islanders were hoping it would after the Bruins' hot start.

Varlamov's defense was more stable following the early goal, though it took the Islanders a while to get things going on offense. They finished the first period with just six shots on goal to 14 from Boston and still only had 10 by the time Josh Bailey scored on the power play to tie the game at 1-1.

But they later showed that they didn't need an excessive amount of shots to get past Boston—just the right ones. Kyle Palmieri nudged one past Tuukka Rask less than five minutes later to give New York a 2-1 lead.

It was the power play that would send the Islanders into the second intermission with a two-goal lead. Brandon Carlo landed in the box for cross-checking, and Jean-Gabriel Pageau capitalized to make it a 3-1 game with 2:39 left to play in the second period.

The Islanders converted on just one of three power plays in their 5-2 loss in Game 1 on Saturday. But that was the difference-maker early Monday, as they were 2-of-2 before Rask shut down their third attempt at the end of regulation.

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Bruins Lose Momentum After Strong Start

A Bruins squad that saw its scoring depth flourish with the trade-deadline addition of Taylor Hall was without one of its other reliable pieces Monday, as Hall's linemate, Craig Smith, was sidelined with a lower-body injury he suffered in Game 1 of the series.

Smith tallied 13 goals and 19 assists for the Bruins in the regular season after joining the team following nine seasons with the Nashville Predators. He was a vital piece in the first-round series against the Washington Capitals, scoring the winning goal in double overtime in Game 3.

Jake DeBrusk moved up to fill the hole on the second line alongside Hall and David Krejci, and Karson Kuhlman entered the lineup to fill in for DeBrusk on the third line.

But the Bruins didn't need their top line to get going Monday when Charlie Coyle found the back of the net on the Bruins' first shot of the game.

While any goal would have made him a hero in Massachusetts for the moment, that specific point cemented his place in history:

After allowing a pair of goals, Boston had a major chance to get back in it during a period of more than three minutes without a stoppage, some of which took place during a four-on-four that gave the Bruins more control after they were outshot to start the second frame.

But it didn't last when the Isles were off and running on another power play opportunity late in the second.

It ended up being the top line that got the Bruins back in it at the end of the night.

First, they got within one at 10:34 of the third thanks to Bergeron:

And with less than five minutes remaining, Marchand struck to even things up: 

The late goals redeemed a Bruins squad that was lackluster in the second period, though it wasn't enough for them to earn the win.

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What's Next?

Game 3 is scheduled for Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET.