There’s a battle brewing between two players vying for best player in the NHL and, unfortunately to the 29 other teams, the Pittsburgh Penguins have both players.
Tuesday night, at Nassau Coliseum both players made their cases as the Penguins defeated the Islanders 3-2 in overtime.
After falling into a 2-0 hole, Evgeni Malkin setup James Neal for the first goal. Sidney Crosby scored a power play goal to tie the game in the third setting up his heroics in overtime with an unbelievable effort to give the Penguins their fourth straight win.
The Islanders, who have lost seven straight, got on the board in the first period with dirty goal by Kyle Okposo. With John Tavares crashing the net, Okposo threw the puck towards the goal from the half wall and it hit a skate before trickling through Marc-Andre Fleruy.
Three minutes later, Okposo scored again. Shooting from the right wing circle, the puck squirted through the pads of Fleury who might have been screened on the play.
Anders Nilsson stonewalled the Penguins in the first period but Pittsburgh was finally able to break the shutout with a goal sixteen seconds before the end of the second period.
Evgeni Malkin went behind the net and slid a pass back to Neal who chipped the puck over Nilsson for his ninth of the season.
Malkin set up Crosby with a one-timer that beat Nilsson five-hole to tie the score at the eight minute mark of the final frame.
The Penguins would have been down by one after Crosby’s goal had it not been for a superb save by Marc-Andre Fleury on Franz Neilsen’s penalty shot. Kris Letang hooked Neilsen while he was on a breakaway. Neilsen made several moves before trying to tuck a backhand shot but Fleury sprawled and made a right pad save to deny the chance.
After failing to score on a power play in overtime, James Neal’s one-timer missed the left post by inches. The puck came around the boards and Crosby stole it off an Islanders’ forward. Cutting to the net, with three skaters draped all over him, Crosby worked his way to the net and chipped a backhanded shot past Nilsson for the game-winner.
- This game featured the league’s top three scorers in the league; Sidney Crosby (38), Evgeni Malkin (37) and John Tavares (32).
- In 44 career games against the Islanders, Crosby has 80 points, more than any other opponent.
- Malkin and Crosby each have 11 multi-point games this year.
Three Stars
- Sidney Crosby
- Kyle Okposo
- Evgeni Malkin
Photo courtesy of NHL.com
