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UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- Forward Eric Boulton re-signed with the New York Islanders on Friday, agreeing to a one-year contract.

The 36-year-old Boulton had 36 penalty minutes in 15 games this season for New York. He has 27 goals, 46 assists and 1,301 penalty minutes in 615 career NHL games with Buffalo, Atlanta, New Jersey and the Islanders.

From the official NHL release:

KANE, MOULSON AND ST. LOUIS VOTED LADY BYNG TROPHY FINALISTS


NEW YORK (May 16, 2013) – Right wing Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks, left wing Matt Moulson of the New York Islanders and right wing Martin St. Louis of the Tampa Bay Lightning are the three finalists for the
2012-13 Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, awarded “to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability,” the National Hockey League announced today.

Members of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association submitted ballots for the Lady Byng Trophy at the conclusion of the regular season, with the top three vote-getters designated as finalists. The winner will be announced during the 2013 Stanley Cup Final, with more detail on format to be released at a later date.

Following are the finalists for the Lady Byng Trophy, in alphabetical
order:

Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks

Kane ranked fifth in the NHL in both goals (23) and points (55), leading Chicago to its second Presidents’ Trophy in franchise history. He played in 47 games, averaging 20:03 of playing time, but was whistled for just eight penalty minutes – the fewest among the top 20 point-producers in the League. Kane also recorded a +11 rating, his second-best plus/minus in his six-year NHL career, and tied for seventh in the League with eight power-play goals. The 24-year-old Buffalo, N.Y., native is a Lady Byng finalist for the first time.

Matt Moulson, New York Islanders

Moulson placed in the top three on the Islanders in goals (15), assists (29) and points (44), helping the team to its first playoff berth in six years. He totaled four penalty minutes in 47 games, tied with San Jose forward Logan Couture for the fewest among the top 50 scorers in the League. Moulson also posted his fourth consecutive 15-goal season, tied for seventh in the NHL with eight power-play goals and logged an average of
19:09 per game. The 29-year-old North York, Ont., native is a Lady Byng finalist for the second straight year, having finished third in voting in 2011-12.

Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay Lightning

St. Louis led the NHL with 43 assists and 60 points in 48 games to capture his second career Art Ross Trophy (2003-04). He averaged 1.25 points per game, becoming one of only three players in League history to achieve that mark at age 37 or older (Mario Lemieux, 2002-03; Gordie Howe, 1968-69). St. Louis also ranked second among NHL forwards in total time on ice (1,055:12), but was assessed just 14 penalty minutes. The Laval, Que., native is a two-time Lady Byng winner (2009-10, 2010-11) and has been voted a finalist for the award on four other occasions.

History

Lady Byng, wife of Canada’s Governor-General at the time, presented the Lady Byng Trophy during the 1924-25 season. After Frank Boucher of the New York Rangers won the award seven times in eight seasons, he was given the trophy to keep and Lady Byng donated another trophy in 1936. After Lady Byng’s death in 1949, the National Hockey League presented a new trophy, changing the name to the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy.

Announcement Schedule

The NHL is announcing the three finalists for its regular-season awards through May 20. The remaining announcement schedule:

Friday, May 17
Jack Adams Award (top head coach)

Monday, May 20
Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award presented by Bridgestone (player who exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice)

Yankee Stadium will host a pair of NHL games next season, with the New York Rangers playing the New Jersey Devils on Jan. 26 and the Rangers meeting the New York Islanders three days later.

The NHL is increasing its popular outdoor games, which in the past had been limited to on or around New Year's Day. There likely will be six next season.

Toronto and Detroit will meet at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Jan 1, the Anaheim Ducks will play the Los Angeles Kings at Dodger Stadium on Jan. 5 and the Chicago Blackhawks will host the Pittsburgh Penguins at Soldier Field on March 1.

The games at Yankee Stadium were announced Wednesday. A game between Ottawa and Vancouver at BC Place on March 2 also is being planned.

UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- What a fitting end to the Islanders' 2013 season, that they left the ice with the Nassau Coliseum crowd on its feet -- even after a heartbreaking 4-3 overtime loss to the Penguins in Game 6 -- saluting the team’s stellar effort in its first playoff appearance since 2007.

That should be the lasting image -- not Brooks Orpik’s game winner -- that each player conjures up when looking back on the team’s first-round series against the top-seeded Penguins.

Making it to the postseason was not enough for the Islanders, who surprised some doubters and captivated the league’s attention with their plucky play, but it should be regarded as a monumental step forward for the organization.

The Islanders couldn’t match Pittsburgh’s depth or experience, but they had the grit, heart and desire in ample supply to push the Penguins in a six-game set.

For so many years, the Islanders have suffered the indignities of the down-trodden and the ridicule that comes with annual bottom-five finishes.

But that perception of the Islanders is bound to change after this.

"We’ve taken a lot of heat in the past three years since I’ve been here, a lot of criticism from the media, people looked at us as a laughingstock," said heart-and-soul grinder Matt Martin, who finished with a game-high 11 hits Saturday night. "Throughout this series, we showed we can play with anyone. We’re excited about the future. We think we have something special here."

The Penguins acknowledged that, too.

After wrapping up their fourth win of the series -- a game that required them to erase three separate one-goal Islanders leads before Orpik’s deciding goal 7:49 into overtime -- they had plenty of respect for the Islanders as they convened at center ice for the customary handshake line.

"Just walking through the line, they said so many good things, just that you guys have a really good team here. You know, I don’t think this team has heard that in a long time," said rugged forward Colin McDonald, who gave the Isles a 2-1 lead with 37 seconds remaining in the first period. "That’s one of the few positives you can talk about right now. I think as an organization, as players, maybe we gained some respect back, and I’m really glad the fans supported us the way they do. I hope this is just the start, a stepping stone looking ahead to next year."

The Islanders received the requisite secondary scoring Saturday from the likes of McDonald and Michael Grabner to build off John Tavares’ wrist shot from the slot that gave the Isles a 1-0 lead 5:36 into play.

But the Pens showed resilience in a tough road test during which they were outshot 38-21 and superstar Sidney Crosby was held to one point. Each time the Isles gained momentum, the Penguins found a way to even the score. Less than six minutes from the Islanders forcing a winner-takes-all Game 7 in Pittsburgh, Pens defenseman Paul Martin unleashed a one-timer that deflected off Frans Nielsen to knot the score at 3 and send the game into overtime.

"I think we outshot them again today and created a lot of opportunities, but times that we could’ve gone up and taken a bigger lead, we just couldn’t do it," said Tavares, who on Friday was named one of three Hart Memorial Trophy finalists for the league’s annual MVP. "They stayed with it, and maybe that’s why they’re moving on."

"It was every bit of a battle in those six games," Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said after his team punched its ticket to a second-round matchup against the seventh-seeded Ottawa Senators.

Special teams hurt the Islanders and veteran goaltender Evgeni Nabokov failed to steal a game, but the Penguins were the team to come up with the big plays when it counted.

For that reason, the Islanders will pack up for the offseason, with the hunger to win even more intense now that they know what it takes and how it’s done.

"It’s what I’ll be thinking about all summer," said Tavares, who finished the series with three goals and five points. "It’s what pushes you every day, and you finally get to experience it. We got here and we weren’t satisfied with getting here. I thought we competed real well, we played with them most of the series and dictated the play a lot of the series, too. They just took advantage of most of their opportunities."

The Penguins remained composed throughout the series, keeping doubt at bay even when the Islanders' Cinderella story seemed to be gaining traction. Bylsma made a bold but necessary goaltending change in replacing starter Marc-Andre Fleury with veteran backup Tomas Vokoun after a bafflingly bad performance in Game 4. That move paid dividends as the latter turned away 66 of 69 shots faced in his two starts to close out the series.

And in moving on, Pittsburgh managed to exorcise some demons from last spring’s implosion when the team was upset in the first round by the Philadelphia Flyers.

"I think we fought it a little bit, that history, and we fought it in different ways," Bylsma said. "But again, we had to be excited to win and not thinking about the past."

The Islanders don’t have that luxury, however. With their first taste of the playoffs also comes their first devastating sense of disappointment.

That won’t abate any time soon.

"Right now, it’s just tough, but in a couple of weeks when we look back at the season, I think we’ll realize we took a big step in the right direction," Nielsen said. "But, we’re definitely not satisfied with that. It’s still a long way to go. It’s not a success until we’ve got that Cup, but I think it’s a step in the right direction."

What it means: The Islanders' Cinderella story came to an abrupt end 7:49 into overtime on Brooks Orpik's winner that sealed Game 6, 4-3, and ended the Isles' season. In a fitting tribute to the plucky squad, the packed crowd at Nassau Coliseum gave the team a standing ovation despite the loss.

Tie game: Trailing 3-2 in the third period, the Penguins evened the score for the third time Saturday night thanks to defenseman Paul Martin's one-timer, which appeared to deflect off Frans Nielsen past Islanders goaltender Evgeni Nabokov with 5:16 remaining in regulation.

Setup man: With his second assist of the game, Islanders forward Keith Aucoin capitalized on Pens defenseman Kris Letang’s turnover in the third period, faking a shot and dishing off to Michael Grabner for a 3-2 lead at 2:21. Grabner’s third-period marker was a pivotal one, and it had the Coliseum buzzing.

Knotted at 2: Despite being outplayed in the second period, the Penguins tied the game 2-all midway through the middle frame on Pascal Dupuis’ redirect at 10:59. The Islanders outshot the Penguins 16-6 in the second, sustaining pressure against Pittsburgh’s Tomas Vokoun, but Dupuis tallied on the team’s third shot of the period. Pittsburgh did not manage a shot on goal until after the eight-minute mark.

Early momentum: With the game tied at 1 and time winding down, Islanders grinder Colin McDonald notched a huge goal to give his team a lead heading into the first intermission. Converting a slick cross-crease pass from Aucoin, McDonald scored with 37 seconds remaining. The Isles and Penguins had traded goals earlier in the period. Josh Bailey made a nice backhanded pass to find John Tavares at the right hash for a 1-0 Isles lead 5:36 into play, but the Penguins answered minutes later. Sidney Crosby raced in along the right wing, and although Nabokov came up with a big stop, Jarome Iginla crashed the net to poke through the rebound and knot the score at 1 at 7:39.

Welcome to the show: Former first-round draft pick (30th overall, 2010) Brock Nelson made his NHL debut in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. The 21-year-old center played on the team’s fourth line with Casey Cizikas and McDonald. Nelson also received time on the team’s second power-play unit.

At a glance: Trailing the top-seeded Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, the Islanders are on the brink of elimination heading into Game 6. But this plucky team has surprised many in pushing the Pens in a competitive and entertaining best-of-seven set and will have the added benefit of a home crowd at Nassau Coliseum on Saturday night. Bolstered by a goaltending switch before Game 5, Pittsburgh enters hostile territory after cruising to a 4-0 victory in that game.

Good call: Penguins coach Dan Bylsma replaced starting goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, who struggled mightily throughout the series, with veteran backup Tomas Vokoun on Thursday, a necessary decision that paid dividends. The 36-year-old netminder made 31 saves to record his fourth shutout of the season. By contrast, Fleury had given up 14 goals over four games (and that includes his shutout in Game 1), an eerie reminder of his meltdown last spring when he surrendered 26 goals in six games against the Flyers in the first round. Vokoun is expected to get the start again Saturday night.

Game-time decision: The Islanders’ second-line center, Frans Nielsen, who is battling a lower-body injury, is a game-time decision. Nielsen, the team’s best defensive forward, is often used against the Penguins’ top line of Chris Kunitz, Sidney Crosby and Pascal Dupuis. The Isles will be missing a key player on their back end after losing top-pair defenseman Andrew MacDonald in Game 4. MacDonald is expected to miss the rest of the season with a hand injury that required surgery earlier this week.

Potential debut: Should Nielsen be unavailable, it is possible that Isles’ top prospect Brock Nelson could be called into the lineup. The former first-round draft pick (30th overall, 2010) would be making his NHL debut. The 21-year-old center finished with 25 goals and 52 points in 66 games for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the American Hockey League this season.

Dueling Harts: Pittsburgh’s Crosby and the Islanders’ John Tavares were announced as two of the three Hart Memorial Trophy finalists Friday morning, along with Washington’s Alex Ovechkin. Despite missing 12 games to injury, Crosby still finished the regular season fourth in scoring with 56 points. Tavares finished third in the league with 28 goals and led the Islanders with 47 points, helping the team to its first postseason appearance since 2007. The award is given annually to the player “judged most valuable to his team.”

The plane ride home from Pittsburgh following the Islanders’ disheartening 4-0 loss to the Penguins Thursday night promised to be a somber one.

When John Tavares was summoned to the front of the plane by the team’s coaching staff, he figured it would be a discussion of Game 5 and how best to approach the series moving forward.

Instead, assistant coach Doug Weight started in on Tavares about his evolution as a player since breaking into the NHL at the age of 19 after being taken first overall in the 2009 draft. Then his former teammate and landlord (Tavares lived with the Weight family his rookie year) finally got to the point.

He congratulated Tavares on being named one of three Hart Memorial Trophy finalists, awarded each year to the “player judged most valuable to his team.”

“It was special to hear it from him,” Tavares said in a phone interview with ESPNNewYork.com.

Tavares said that night was full of mixed feelings. The 22-year-old was obviously “honored” about the recognition; he joins Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby and Washington’s Alex Ovechkin as finalists, though Tavares was still smarting from the blanking suffered hours earlier at Consol Energy Center, a loss that leaves the Islanders trailing the Penguins 3-2 in the series.

That fierce competitiveness and persistent desire to win is what put Tavares in the running for the award in the first place. With an outstanding 2013 season, in which he led the Isles with 47 points and finished third in the NHL with 28 goals, Tavares put the team on his back at times throughout its determined march to the playoffs. Without the former first overall pick, it’s hard to imagine that the Islanders would have made their first postseason appearance since 2007.

“I think I’ve come a long way,” Tavares said of his game’s progression since his rookie season in 2009-10. “But I still feel like I’ve got so much more to improve. That’s what excites me most from this season. I’m always looking to improve.”

The first-time finalist has been something of a patron saint for Islanders fans this season. With the team’s surprising run to the playoffs -- not to mention the way they have pushed the top-seeded Penguins with a series as competitive as it is entertaining -- the Isles have recaptured the excitement of playoff hockey on Long Island and restored credibility to a franchise that has often been the subject of ridicule in recent years.

“Obviously, there is a perception around the league about playing for the Islanders, this organization. Since Day 1 when I got here, not only did they give me every opportunity, but I saw what the goals were and the plan was moving forward,” Tavares said. “Once you finally experience it, and gain that momentum like we did, you can just see the hunger and the focus. It got amplified. ... There’s definitely a lot of growth and I think it changes what people may believe or think about the Islanders.”

Tavares has never wavered in his belief in this team. He inked a six-year, $33 million deal in September 2011, bucking speculation that he’d leave for greener pastures once the opportunity presented itself. Instead, he pledged his commitment to the Isles and vowed to try to bring home a Stanley Cup.

It has taken almost two years since then to take the next step, but Tavares is still trying to make good on that pledge. Five games into the team's first-round series, Tavares is struck by just how special playoff hockey can be.

“It’s everything you dream of and probably more,” he said. “The intensity, the focus and everything you have to commit mentally, physically, what you sacrifice to give to the postseason, it’s something special. It feels like nothing else.”

New York Islanders center John Tavares has been named one of three finalists for the Hart Memorial Trophy, the league announced Friday morning. Tavares joins Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby and Washington's Alex Ovechkin in the running for the award, given annually to the "player judged most valuable to his team."

Tavares emerged as a strong candidate after leading the Islanders to their first playoff appearance since 2007, as an eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. The former first overall pick in the 2009 draft led the Isles with 47 points in 48 games during the regular season and finished third in the league with 28 goals.

The 22-year-old Tavares, in his fourth year for the Islanders, is a first-time finalist for the Hart. He has two goals and two assists through the first five game of the Islanders first-round match-up against the top seeded Penguins. Pittsburgh took a 3-2 series lead with a 4-0 blanking of the Isles in Game 5 Thursday night.

FROM ELIAS:

This is the first time in 34 years that 2 different goalies had a shutout in a single series for the same team:

Shutout by 2 Different Goalies in Same Series
Stanley Cup Playoff History
First Goalie 2nd Goalie
2013 Penguins Marc-Andre Fleury Tomas Vokoun
1979 Islanders Chico Resch Billy Smith
1976 Bruins Gerry Cheevers Gilles Gilbert
1975 Flyers Bernie Parent Wayne Stephenson
1972 Bruins Gerry Cheevers Eddie Johnston
1965 Canadiens Charlie Hodge Gump Worsley

Not So Sweet: The Penguins return home Thursday night looking to take a 3-2 series lead over the Islanders, but being home hasn’t helped in the playoffs. Over the last four seasons, Pittsburgh is just 6-10 in home playoff games. The only team that’s played at least five home playoff games over that stretch with a worse record is Phoenix (5-10). Ottawa is 3-5 in home playoff games since then (same win percentage as Pittsburgh).

Scott Burnside and Joe Starkey discuss goalie Marc-Andre Fleury's future with the Penguins following his Game 5 benching.

The Islanders won 6-4 against the Penguins Tuesday night, but lost key defenseman Andrew MacDonald in tying the series 2-2.

MacDonald was forced from the game during the second period after being hit by a shot from Penguins defenseman Douglas Murray on the arm. He did not return to the ice, forcing the Isles to roll five defenseman the rest of the game.

It appears as though the Isles may be without him for the rest of the post-season as well. According to Newsday's Arthur Staple, MacDonald suffered a broken hand on the play and is unlikely to return during the playoffs.

The 25-year-old MacDonald, who plays with Travis Hamonic on the team's top defensive pairing, leads the Islanders with 23:31 minutes per game.

"He's an integral part of our team, no question," coach Jack Capuano said after the game.

Capuano said he believes that others will be able to step up in his absence. Assuming MacDonald misses Game 5, the Islanders will likely use veteran Radek Martinek, a scratch the first four games of the series.

UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- The Islanders are not simply happy to be here.

Proving that they can be more than just competitive with the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Islanders edged the top seed in the East 6-4 in a wild romp at Nassau Coliseum Tuesday night to even the series 2-2.

Scoring six goals against a supremely shaky Marc-Andre Fleury, the Isles might also have planted some serious doubt within the Penguins' room about their starting goaltender.

Fleury has now given up 14 goals in four games this series, leading many to wonder whether veteran backup Tomas Vokoun will get the start in goal for Game 5 on Thursday in Pittsburgh.

Penguins coach Dan Bylsma declined to say who would start, but he didn’t rule out Vokoun as a possibility.

“We’re not going to talk about our starting goaltender for Game 5 right now,” Bylsma said.

It wasn’t just Fleury who gave up questionable goals -- Isles netminder Evgeni Nabokov has a few he’d probably like back as well -- in what turned out to be a wildly entertaining game between two teams trading scoring chances at a frenetic pace.

After seeing leads quickly evaporate in the first two periods, the Islanders rattled off three goals in the final frame. Captain Mark Streit, who finished with three points, tied the game at 3 with his second goal of the game early in the third, and superstar center John Tavares snapped a 4-4 draw to score what would hold up as the game-winner midway through the period.

Tavares stick handled his way to the doorstep and chased his own rebound to beat Fleury’s outstretched pad for a 5-4 lead at 10:11. Fourth-line sparkplug Casey Cizikas (1G, 2A, +4 rating) added an insurance goal with less than two minutes remaining -- the final display of Fleury’s frustrating night.

Before that bizarre play, in which he was out of position and slow to react to Cizikas cutting to the net, Fleury gave up a real softie to Kyle Okposo in the second period.

Okposo threw the puck at the net from behind the goal line and banked it in off Fleury’s pads at 18:36.

The handful of blunders was eerily reminiscent of last year’s meltdown in the first round of the playoffs, when Fleury surrendered a dizzying 26 goals over six games to the Philadelphia Flyers.

“We know how he played last year against Philly, but we just want to go get traffic in front of him, get shots, shoot the puck,” Okposo said. “We didn’t shoot the puck enough in the second. We came out in the third, peppered him and got in his kitchen a little bit.”

Rugged forward Matt Martin said the team let Fleury off too easy in Game 1 when he recorded a 5-0 shutout. Since then, they’ve amped up the pressure.

“Game 1, we didn’t test him enough. He had a shutout. Luckily, Game 2 we were able to get some on him and since then, we’ve been able to capitalize on our opportunities,” Martin said. "I think if you take away any goalie’s confidence, it’s hard to make saves.”

By contrast, the Islanders confidence seems to be soaring after Game 4’s victory, one that ensures they’ll get another game at home in front of a raucous Nassau Coliseum crowd.

"Game 3 was heartbreaking and we found a way to put it behind us, so the nice thing is that we get another game at home here," Martin said. "The crowd’s been fantastic for us."

Even without top-pair defenseman Andrew MacDonald, who was forced from the game with an upper-body injury in the second period, the Islanders seem encouraged by their chances from here on out.

They’ll take momentum into Game 5 and the knowledge that these Penguins are a beatable team.

Although an inexperienced squad, the Islanders have matured, both from earlier this season and maybe even earlier this series, into one capable of managing the momentum swings and surges within a game.

“We put so much effort into getting here, there was no doubt we wanted to make the most of this opportunity," Tavares said. "We weren’t just satisfied being here. We believe in this room, obviously. ... There are a lot of guys stepping up for us here and that’s what we need.”

What it means: This first-round series between the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins has been more than just competitive. It's been wildly entertaining.

Following a heartbreaking overtime loss on Sunday in Game 3, the eighth-seeded Isles edged the top-seeded Penguins 6-4 on Tuesday with three goals in a frenzied third period to even the series 2-2.

Goaltending took a back seat Tuesday night, with both Marc-Andre Fleury and Evgeni Nabokov giving up a few questionable goals throughout the course of a frenzied game 4, but the crowd at Nassau Coliseum didn't seem to mind. The two teams traded goals until Islanders star John Tavares delivered the game-winner in the third.

Snapping a 4-4 draw, Tavares made a terrific move to stick handle his way to the net and chase his own rebound to beat Fleury. The dramatic goal caused a boisterous crowd at Nassau Coliseum to erupt into cheers of "M-V-P!" as the Penguins scrambled to collect themselves. Fleury didn't help matters, though, as his blunder late in the game allowed Casey Cizikas to add an insurance goal with 1:16 to play.

Trading chances: For the second time in the game, the Islanders allowed a lead to quickly evaporate. After captain Mark Streit's first goal of the night gave the Isles a 2-1 edge in the second period, the Penguins answered 58 seconds later when Evgeni Malkin converted a 2-on-1 rush. The Penguins later took a 3-2 lead on Brandon Sutter’s shot from the left circle that beat a screened Evgeni Nabokov, but this time it was the Islanders who responded.

Soft goal: Scrutinized for his meltdown in the Penguins’ first-round series against the Flyers last spring, Fleury has been on the hot seat this series. He didn’t help his case by giving up a softie for the game-tying goal with 1:24 remaining in the second. Kyle Okposo threw the puck on net from behind the goal line, banking it in off Fleury’s pads to knot the score at three heading into the second intermission.

Close call: Once again, Crosby was the recipient of a hazardous deflected puck, though Tuesday night’s close call appeared to be just that. In his third game back from a fractured jaw, Crosby was stung in the throat by a piece of Brian Strait’s shot that glanced off the stick of Chris Kunitz. In a poor display, Islanders fans cheered as Crosby doubled over and skated to the opposite end of the ice. He eventually went to the bench, where he was briefly treated by the team’s trainer, and returned to the ice.

Tied after one: Strait, whose Game 3 penalty on Crosby led to the game-winning power-play goal, gave the Isles a 1-0 lead late in the first period on a seeing-eye shot that beat Fleury at 14:05, but the Isles gave one right back less than a minute later. James Neal, who returned after suffering an injury in Game 1 of the series, ripped a sharp-angle shot past Nabokov 45 seconds later to tie the game, 1-1.

Man down: Islanders defenseman Andrew MacDonald was forced from the game in the second period after taking Douglas Murray’s shot to the arm. Should the injury sideline MacDonald for Game 5, that would be a significant loss for the Islanders blue line. The 26-year-old plays on the team’s top pairing with youngster Travis Hamonic.

Up Next: Islanders at Penguins, Thursday at 7.

UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- Despite trailing the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 in the series, the New York Islanders are a confident bunch heading into Game 4 on Tuesday night at Nassau Coliseum.

Following a Game 1 rout in which the Isles were easily dispatched 5-0, they rebounded with a win in Game 2 and a strong performance in Game 3, despite falling in overtime.

But it's not just about their ability to compete with the top-seeded Penguins. The Islanders truly believe they can pull off the upset.

"We know we can beat them," second-line center Frans Nielsen said. "We want this to go as far as possible. This series, too, we've felt they have a lot of guys on their team that can't skate with us. So we want this one to go to seven, because we want to get [it] as tough as possible."

According to Nielsen, speed has been the Islanders' biggest advantage.

"I think when we're moving our feet, they've got guys up front, on the [defense] that we can see are struggling a little bit," Nielsen said. "We've gotta skate with 'em. If we stop skating, we don't have a chance."

Even Sidney Crosby admitted the Islanders have created problems for the Penguins with their transition game and opportunistic style of play.

Pittsburgh enjoys the distinct advantage on special teams, but the Islanders have been solid at even strength.

"They've probably carried the play a little bit more," Crosby said. "They've had a little more zone time, I think. They're coming hard, but I think we've hurt ourselves with turnovers. ... I think that something we can definitely improve on."

PENGUINS UPDATE: Brooks Orpik and James Neal took part in the Penguins' morning skate, though it is not immediately clear whether they will return to the lineup Tuesday night.

The Penguins have adopted a playoff policy of declining to answer injury or lineup questions. That goes for coach Dan Bylsma and the players themselves.

Neither Orpik nor Neal committed to a return, though all indications are that both players are close.

Neal, who practiced with the team's first power-play unit during the skate, said he doesn't expect to be eased back into it, whenever he returns. The 25-year-old winger was forced from Game 1 with a lower-body injury and has not played since.

"It's playoffs," Neal said. "I'm not going to go back in unless I can help the team out and play my best."

Orpik could do nothing to help his team while watching from the press box during the nail-biter of a finish in Game 3, an experience he described as "the most nervous" he has ever been. The veteran defenseman suffered a lower-body injury during the last week of the regular season and has yet to make an appearance in the 2013 playoffs.

"At this time of year, you want to heal as quick as possible," Orpik said. "It never heals as quickly as you want it to, but you just try to be patient with it. That's tough."