Uniondale, New York - The New York Islanders kept from falling to a two-game deficit against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup semifinals on Saturday night.

The Isles held off a late rush by the Bolts to win game four 3-2, to knot their series up at two games each, as the semifinals head back down to Florida for Game 5.

Defenseman Ryan Pulock (26) was the unlikely star of the game, but he never scored a goal. As an unofficial "goaltender," he stepped into the crease while the real goalie, Semyon Varlamov, was lured out of the net. This left Pulock to make the save that sealed the win for the Islanders. His time to shine came in the final seconds of the game, as his right glove stopped a desperate shot headed for an otherwise open net, which could’ve tied the game.

The Isles were more aggressive than before in this game, creating offensive chances by taking away the puck from the Lightning every chance they got. They played more disciplined hockey, rarely gave away possessions in the open ice, and built a commanding 3-0 lead thanks to goals by Josh Bailey, Mathew Barzal, and Matt Martin.

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New York was in control heading into the third period, but then the Lightning tried to mount a comeback. Brayden Point’s 12th playoff goal started things off, and Tyler Johnson soon followed with his own score.

It appeared that perhaps New York was going to give this one away with the defending cup champs, and they almost did, if not for the miraculous save by Pulock.

Both teams have split the two games played in either Tampa or New York, leaving this next game a toss-up between them. However, you'd think the Lightning have a slight edge, since they’ve been down this road just last year, having knocked out the Islanders in the semifinals on their way to raising the Stanley Cup.

Game 5 for the series lead is on Monday night, from Tampa Bay.