The first three games of the Penguins' first-round matchup with the Islanders were all tightly-contested matchups decided by one goal.
Game 4 on Saturday in New York was a decisive, 4-1 victory for the Islanders.
The Islanders showed more urgency, more discipline, more offense from their top-six, and dominance in the faceoff circle, among other things.
“You had everybody engaged, and you had everybody contributing,” Islanders coach Barry Trotz said of his team after the Islanders' win. “If you look at when we have success, everybody contributes and we rely on each other. There’s a great brotherhood in our room, and there’s a style that we play. Everybody has a piece of the big picture. All four lines, when they're contributing and playing the right way and invested, that's when we have the best chance to win most nights."
A victory that decisive has the potential to be a real momentum-booster in a series, now tied 2-2 as the teams head back to Pittsburgh.
The Islanders, though, aren't banking on any momentum from this game carrying over into Game 5 on Monday.
"I think it's a pretty veteran group over on the other side," forward Mat Barzal said after the game. "So whatever we did tonight, they've probably already forgotten about it. They're going to be fresh for Game 5. We've been in a few playoff series the last few years, so we've got a feel of where our heads need to be at and just where our focus is at. We'll enjoy this one, and then once we leave the rink tonight it's a tied series, a three-game series. It's going to come down to three games here."
"We're going into their building," defenseman Ryan Pulock said. "We have to stick to our game plan and play our brand of hockey and forecheck well. When we're able to do that, that's when we have our success. We'll enjoy this for now, then we'll focus on next game."