What a difference a year makes.
The Penguins got out to a 3-0 lead and, instead of losing in overtime as they did in Game 1 last year agains the Flyers, they added two more goals and defeated the New York Islanders 5-0 to take a 1-0 series lead.
The shoddy defense and poor goaltending that led to the demise of the Penguins cup run last year was nonexistent. The Penguins shutout the Islanders, killing all four Long Island power plays and refusing to allow any odd-man chances. The speed of the Islanders was compromised and the Penguins poured over the boards, wave after wave.
Matt Cooke drew a penalty on former Penguin, Brian Strait, just 1:40 into the first period. Jarome Iginla had two huge blasts from the left point, the second shot hitting Evgeni Nabokov on the mask. Nabokov needed a moment to regain his faculties before play started again. A clearing attempt was knocked down by a referee in the neutral zone and the Penguins were able to counterattack from center ice. Beau Bennett came down the right side and fired a perfectly placed wrist shot over the left shoulder of the goaltender, beating Nabokov on the near side.
The Penguins tightened up their defense from the drop of the puck. The Islanders did not gain an odd-man rush and every time they had a decent scoring chance, there were five black jerseys in the shooting lanes. By the end of the first period, the Penguins had 19 blocked shots.
Pascal Dupuis scored 13:23 into the first period to extend the lead. Craig Adams was chopping at a loose puck in front of the net and it ultimately came out to Jarome Iginla who was positioned in the low slot. Iginla’s shot was stopped by Nabokov, but the goaltender was hung out to try coming five feet outside the crease to knock down the angle. Dupuis backhanded the rebound into the net.
The Penguins had a power play heading into the second period and Evgeni Malkin drew a tripping penalty to earn a brief 5 on 3 power play. Kris Letang took the puck at the left point, paused, and fired a perfect shot past Nabokov to make it 3-0 Penguins.
James Neal was injured during the power play when he took a hit into the boards. His knee appeared to buckle and he was taken into the locker room for further evaluation. Neal did not return.
Just 32 seconds later, Pascal Dupuis pounced on a loose puck in front of the net and backhanded his second goal of the game. Nabokov was pulled for Kevin Poulin.
Tanner Glass got on the board 13:03 into the second when his shot bounced off a skate in front and deflected into the net.
In the third period, the Penguins continued to pound the Islanders. By the final frame, the Islanders looked reluctant to retrieve the puck in their own end.
The frustration boiled over for Marty Reasoner who stuck out his foot to clip Jussi Jokinen. As a scrum ensued after the hit, Jokinen skated off on his own power and went right to the locker room. Reasoner was given a 5 minute major and a 10 minute game misconduct. Travis Hamonic, Douglas Murray, Matt Moulson and Casey Cizikas were all given game misconducts.
The Penguins didn’t score on their final power play but they exited with a 1-0 series lead.
- Marc-Andre Fleury posted his sixth career shutout.
- Beau Bennett was the first rookie to score the first goal of a playoff series for the Penguins since Jordan Staal in 2007 vs. Ottawa.
- Douglas Murray, Brenden Morrow and Tanner Glass combined for 16 total hits.
Three Stars
- Marc-Andre Fleury
- Pascal Dupuis
- Jarome Iginla
Photo courtesy of NHL.com
