For just over 100 minutes of hockey starting in Game 3, the New York Islanders could not solve Tuukka Rask and the Boston Bruins' stingy defense.
The only Islanders' goal in Game 3 came courtesy of Mathew Barzal stuffing one that barely squeaked past Rask with just over five minutes to go. Brad Marchand then won it in overtime, with Rask making 28 saves in the overtime victory.
Game 4 appeared to be on a similar path.
The Bruins jumped out to the lead on a second-period power play thanks to David Krejci.
Then came Barzal's burst of brilliance, just 2:41 after Krejci's breakthrough.
Barzal danced around the Boston zone with Curtis Lazar draped all over him, taking a clear hook that drew a delayed penalty.
The Islanders' skilled forward kept pushing on, eventually dipping below the goal line, and fired a pass onto Kyle Palmieri's tape. Palmieri made no mistake, tying the game at 1.
Then the game settled back into the stingy defense you'd expect from teams coached by Barry Trotz and Bruce Cassidy.
With seven minutes to play, the Bruins held a slight shots advantage, 28-27. In a goaltender's duel for a second straight game, people would back Rask slightly over Semyon Varlamov, giving Boston a presumed edge.
But Barzal stole the show again.
With 6:57 to go in the game, Scott Mayfield fired one from the blue line, but Charlie Coyle deflected and blocked it into the air.
Nobody could track the puck as it spun off to the left, except Barzal. Barzal swung at it like a golf club, knocking the puck from just above the ice, into a line drive through Leo Komarov's screen, and behind Rask for the go-ahead goal.
It's the type of flair and brilliance the Islanders missed against the Penguins, and early in this series. In round one against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Barzal had three assists in six games, with all three coming in Games 3 and 4.
Of the first eight Islanders' playoff games, Barzal went goalless in all of them, and pointless in five of the games. This breakthrough came at a perfect time.
Casey Cizikas and Jean-Gabriel Pageau put the game away with late empty-netters
Thanks to Barzal's breakthrough, the Islanders headed up to Boston tied at 2, where Barzal added another goal and assist, helping lead the Islanders to a 5-4 win, setting up the Game 6 close out in Nassau Coliseum.