The Penguins came into Long Island with a three game winning streak and left with a 4-2 victory, Tuesday night. With the win, Pittsburgh moved into the top spot in the East with fourteen points.
What a difference a week makes.
Exactly seven days ago, the Penguins were embarrassed on their own ice by these very same New York Islanders. They squandered nine minutes in power play time, five of which from a major penalty, while allowing the Islanders to score two power play goals en route to a 4-1 defeat at Consol Energy Center.
This time around, the Penguins flipped the script, scoring on their first power play of the game before locking down the Islanders on all seven penalty kill opportunities. The best penalty killer of the night was goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, who was pulled after two periods a week ago.
James Neal got the Penguins on the board 2:58 into the game. After Marty Reasoner went to the box for holding, Travis Hamonic’s clearing attempt off the boards was intercepted by Sidney Crosby. Crosby went cross-ice to James Neal who skated to the slot and slid the puck past Evgeni Nabokov.
The Penguins would spend the next period and a half killing off six New York power plays . Fortunately, the penalty killers were perfect, including the goaltender. Marc-Andre Fleury stonewalled Matt Moulson, point-blank, with the left pad. Later in the period, he stopped Keith Aucion on a chance in front, stacking the pads to prevent a goal off a rebound before halting play.
In the second period, Fleury stopped Michael Grabner on a breakaway, then barely deflected a shot from Matt Martin.
The defense was also sound, blocking 17 shots and getting sticks in passing lanes to prevent cross-ice passes.
After killing three consecutive penalties over a five minute stretch, the Penguins dealt a huge blow to the Islanders. Simon Despres prevented Kyle Okposo from driving the net, then checked him into the boards taking him out of the play. Despres then took the puck away as the Islanders were trying to move it deep into the Penguins’ zone, and started the breakout. Kris Letang sent the puck up to Kunitz who then sent a drop pass to Despres for a one-timer just inside the point. The puck beat Nabokov on the glove side and the Penguins extended their lead to two.
Brandon Sutter scored 1:44 into the third period to put the Pens up 3-0. Matt Cooke took a loose puck in his own end and developed a two on one with Brandon Sutter. Cooke fed the puck to Sutter whose wrist shot from the right face-off dot trickled past Nabokov’s left arm.
The goal appeared to put the game out of reach. But a goal by Michael Grabner 3:14 into the third, followed by a Brad Boyes goal less than a minute later, brought the Islanders within one.
The Islanders were buzzing around the Penguins’ net and drew a penalty on Chris Kunitz with six and a half minutes remaining in the game. But the Penguins shut the door one more time before getting an empty-net goal from Pascal Dupuis to seal the deal.
- The Islanders are 0-14 in their last two games on the powerplay.
- Sidney Crosby briefly left in the second period after taking a puck to the nose, drawing blood on the ice. He returned later in the period.
- The Penguins have scored within the first five minutes of the opening period in seven of ten games this season.
Three Stars
- James Neal
- Kris Letang
- Brad Boyes
Photo courtesy of Yahoo! sports
