The Islanders will sink or swim with Evgeni Nabokov.
Despite being pulled for the second time in the series during the third period of Game 5’s ugly 4-0 loss to the Penguins in favor of youngster Kevin Poulin, the veteran will be back between the pipes for tonight’s make-or-break Game 6 at Nassau Coliseem, coach Jack Capuano said.
A key to the Islanders reaching the playoffs, Nabokov, 37, has struggled in the series, allowing 20 goals in the five games, to go with an unsightly 4.68 goals-against-average and .847 save percentage. He never has been a particularly strong playoff performer, with a lifetime 42-41 record.
“Every goalie, if you ask them, would like to have one or two back,” Capuano said. “I have confidence in [Nabokov] to continue to go with him. He’ll start again [tonight], it’s no surprise. We’ll move along with him. He’s a veteran guy, he’s probably harder on himself than anybody else. He knows how he has to play.”
Nabokov said the Islanders need to improve upon “a combination of everything” to force a Game 7. He did fault himself partly for the lopsided loss Thursday night.
“It doesn’t matter how the game goes, it’s always important if you have a big stop,” Nabokov said. “It starts with big saves at the right time.”
* Already down one of their top defensemen, the Islanders could be without second-line center Frans Nielsen tonight.
The hard-working pivot suffered what the team has termed a lower-body injury in the third period of Game 5, and wasn’t on the ice during the team’s optional skate yesterday.
A key special-teams contributor, Nielsen had six goals and 23 assists during the regular season.
“Not sure yet, we’ll discuss that today, look at all our options,” Capuano said when asked about the center’s status. “We’ll know more about Frans [today].”
* Capuano said defenseman Andrew MacDonald underwent surgery on his broken left hand and will be out six-to-eight weeks, as first reported by The Post on Thursday. Veteran blueliner Radek Martinek, who had not played since April 16 and appeared in just 13 regular-season games, replaced MacDonald in the lineup in Game 5.
This is the first time since 1979 that a team has gotten two shutouts from two different goalies in the same playoff series. Tomas Vokoun blanked the Isles in Game 5 while Marc-Andre Fleury did the honors in Game 1, though he allowed 14 goals in Games 2, 3 and 4 before Vokoun replaced him.
In the 1979 playoffs, the Islanders’ Billy Smith and Chico Resch both recorded shutouts during a quarterfinal sweep of the Blackhawks.
Not since 2008 has a Stanley Cup-winning team gotten one or more wins from two goalies.
The Islanders have struggled against Vokoun, who is 3-0 this year against them with a 0.90 goals-against average.