‘Playing with heart’
Islanders win Game 3 to take 3-0 series lead with Mooseheads
The Charlottetown Islanders have taken a stranglehold on their second-round series with the Halifax Mooseheads.
The Islanders erased an early 2-0 deficit to defeat the Herd 5-2 Tuesday at a boisterous Eastlink Centre and take a commanding 3-0 series lead. They can complete the sweep today at 7 p.m. on home ice.
“It was definitely a huge win,” forward Cam Askew said. “We know the job is not done. The fourth one is always the hardest one to win.”
The Mooseheads jumped out to a 2-0 lead on power-play goals by Xavier Parent and Connor Moynihan 2:23 apart in the final four minutes of the first period.
Nikita Alexandrov tipped a Saku Vesterinen shot for a power-play marker with 11 seconds left in the opening 20 minutes to make it 2-1.
Islanders head coach Jim Hulton said it was a huge goal and a turning point looking back at the outcome. It allowed his team, he added, to regroup after starting without the compete level required to beat the skillful Mooseheads squad.
“The mountain wasn’t as steep as it was (at) 2-0,” he said.
Alexandrov’s linemate, Brett Budgell, tied it 1:08 into the second period, and captain Pierre-Olivier Joseph gave the home side the lead with 5:33 left in the middle stanza.
“Pascal (Aquin) made another unbelievable play. He’s been crazy good,” Joseph said.
“I just put a puck on the net.”
The puck beat Mooseheads goalie Blade Mann-Dixon, a former Isles netminder, who was screened on the play by Alexandrov.
Hulton said Joseph turned in a dominant performance. It came after he missed the end of Game 2 by blocking a shot with his hand. X-rays were negative, and he didn’t appear to miss a beat Tuesday.
“He proved tonight why he’s a first-round NHL pick. He was fantastic,” Hulton said. “He was under control, he had his legs going, his thought process was great. He just continues to always answer the bell at key times.”
The Islanders didn’t play a perfect game, and they know they will have to be better tonight. But when they did make a mistake a teammate was there
and often times so was goalie Matthew Welsh, who turned in another winning performance.
In the second period, Sullivan Sparkes gave away the puck to Arnaud Durandeau in the neutral zone.
The Mooseheads forward leapt over Sparkes’ stick at the blue-line and was going in on an odd-man rush against Olivier Desjardins. Durandeau shot the puck and Desjardins blocked it.
“If you’re going to win playoff games, you have to sacrifice and you’ve got to back teammates up,” Hulton said. “That play epitomizes both things.”
Askew scored the insurance marker with 25 seconds left in the second period. It came 15 seconds after his slashing penalty expired.
He took a Desjardins pass and wrapped it around the net and tossed it in off Mann-Dixon’s skate.
Daniel Hardie completed the scoring with 2:03 left in the third, finishing a nice passing play with linemates Keith Getson and Aquin.
It came after he was in the box for the two powerplay goals against in the first period.
Hulton said both Hardie and Askew are key veterans, who play through a penalty like that and have been big parts of the team’s playoff success.
The Islanders have done a good job all season of remaining in the moment, but Joseph said they didn’t expect a 3-0 lead.
“If you would have told me that before the series I don’t think we would have believed you, but we play with heart and we play with confidence now,” he said.