NEW YORK — In an exciting match on Saturday evening, the New York Islanders triumphed over the Pittsburgh Penguins with a score of 6-3, courtesy of outstanding performances by Casey Cizikas and Anders Lee, who both netted two goals.
Joining the scoring effort were Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Anthony Duclair, while Mathew Barzal and Alexander Romanov contributed with two assists each. The victory was significant for New York, marking a rebound after they had dropped three of their previous four games. Goaltender Ilya Sorokin recorded 22 saves to secure the win.
On the Penguins’ side, Michael Bunting, Noel Acciari, and Rickard Rakell found the back of the net. Pittsburgh had enjoyed some success prior to this game, with a record of 4-1-1 over their last six matches. Tristan Jarry was in goal for the Penguins, making 28 saves throughout the contest.
The Islanders seized control of the game in the second period, scoring three times within a four-minute span. Duclair started the scoring in that flurry at 5:39, putting New York ahead. Shortly after, at 8:36, Lee’s shot from the left side deflected off Penguins defenseman Kris Letang and into the net, extending the lead to 3-1. Cizikas then scored just over a minute later, deflecting a shot to increase the Islanders’ advantage.
Acciari managed to find the net with just under six minutes remaining in the second period, but Rakell narrowed the deficit to 4-3 by redirecting a shot with only four seconds left in the middle frame. Cizikas would go on to score a breakaway goal at 5:17 in the third period, with Lee adding an empty-net goal in the final minute.
Pageau opened the scoring for the Islanders with 5:13 left in the first period, but Bunting quickly tied it up just 1:16 later, achieving his 200th career point with that goal.
Key Takeaways: The Islanders’ penalty kill showed significant improvement, successfully neutralizing three of four opposition power plays after entering the match with the league’s lowest home kill percentage at 64.4%. For the Penguins, the loss meant they missed an opportunity to surpass Ottawa for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, now trailing by a single point.
The pivotal moment of the game occurred when Rakell redirected a shot from Matt Grzelcyk in the final moments of the second period, closing the gap to just one goal.
An interesting statistic from the game involved Sidney Crosby, who was initially credited with a secondary assist on Bunting’s power-play goal in the first period, which would have marked his 1,034th career point, allowing him to surpass Mario Lemieux for the all-time franchise record. However, that assist was later rescinded.
Looking ahead, the Islanders and Penguins are set to face off again on Sunday in Pittsburgh as they wrap up their home-and-home series.
