In a battle between two Metropolitan Division foes, the New York Islanders (14-15-7) defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins (16-16-5) by a 6-3 final in the first of back-to-back games between the clubs. With the win and the New York Rangers losing, the Islanders moved into seventh place in the division. The Penguins fell to 6-9-3 in road games but remained in fourth place in the division.
Islanders head coach Patrick Roy turned to Ilya Sorokin, who made 22 saves for his 10th win of the season. Tristan Jarry made 28 saves on 33 shots in the loss.
Game Recap
The first period was a fast-paced, back-and-forth affair that ended tied at one, with two late goals. The Islanders opened the scoring at 14:47 with Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s eighth goal of the season. Just 1:16 later, the Penguins tied the game with a power-play goal by Michael Bunting. The Islanders held a slight 11-9 shot advantage.
In the second period, the Islanders appeared to be running away with the game, scoring three goals in four minutes. At 5:39, Anthony Duclair notched his third goal of the season. Just 2:57 later, Anders Lee made it 3-1, followed by Casey Cizikas extending the lead to 4-1 at 9:39.
The Penguins found life as they responded with two goals of their own. At 13:49, Noel Acciari made it 4-2, and Rickard Rakell cut the lead to 4-3 with just four seconds remaining in the period. The Islanders held a 17-11 shot advantage for the period.
From an Islanders’ perspective, the third period was a defensive showcase, as they limited the Penguins’ chances. Thanks to their strong defensive play, the Islanders tacked on two more goals. The first came at 14:43 when Cizikas tallied his second goal of the game. Lee sealed the win with an empty-net goal at 19:38.
Both teams will travel to Pittsburgh tonight for the second half of their home-and-home weekend series.
