ELMONT, N.Y. — The playoff feel engulfed both teams and some 16,000 fans at UBS Arena Monday. The Pittsburgh Penguins (37-21-16) and New York Islanders (42-28-5)began their white-knuckler separated by just one point in the Metro Division.
After a grappling first period, the teams exploded for a combined eight goals in the second period, five by the Penguins, including four unanswered. Anthony Mantha showed deft hands, steering around Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin for a pair of goals, Nos. 4 and 5.
By the end, the Penguins scored seven unanswered for a blowout 8-3 win at UBS Arena Monday.
Mantha had three points (2-1-3) and Rickard Rakell had a pair of goals. The win put the Penguins back into second place, one point ahead of the Islanders with one game in hand. The Penguins have eight games remaining.
The Penguins also have a two point lead on the Columbus Blue Jackets, who are the second wild card, and a four point lead over the Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings, who are the first teams out of the playoffs.
The Penguins host Detroit Tuesday.
Penguins coach Dan Muse put his line combinations in the Cuisinart and came up with three new combinations, keeping only his fourth line together. None of the new creations had much game experience, and the first 10 minutes were a choppy orientation, with whistles and the Penguins struggling to exit their own zone.
Neither team scored a goal in the first period, but the pressure built throughout the first period, and after a later period surge, the Penguins ended with an 11-7 shot advantage.
The barndoors opened in the second period. Despite a Penguins power play at the beginning of the period, the Islanders scored a pair of goals in under three minutes. At 1:27, Anders Lee scored a power play goal when he batted a puck that caromed off the back wall past surprised Penguins goalie Arturs Silovs for a 1-0 lead.
Then at 2:56 of the second, Mathew Barzal flew the zone and got behind the Penguins defense and covering forwards. Silovs read pass, leaving too much net for Barzal to snap a wrister over his Silovs’ shoulder for a 2-0 lead.
Then, the Penguins’ attack found traction. Elmer Soderblom (4) capped a grinding fourth-line shift by beating Sorokin with a close wrister at 6:41. And the Penguins not only staved off extinction but surged.
However, the Islanders briefly interrupted the Penguins’ attack when Silovs kicked a rebound to the front of the net, and Islanders center Brayden Schenn beat everyone to the loose puck for a 3-1 lead at 9:17.
That’s when the Penguins exploded for four unanswered goals in the second period.
On the penalty kill, Rakell knocked down Parker Wotherspoon’s clear and worked a give-and-go with Bryan Rust. Rakell (18) finished the play at 11:01 for a shorthanded goal.
Ryan Shea (5) unleashed a rocket from the back of the left circle to tie the game 3-3 at 13:29. Mantha earned the primary assist on Shea’s goal and then scored a pair of beauties before the end of the period.
Justin Brazeau slipped a pass through a few defenders at the offensive blue line to spring Mantha on a short breakaway. Mantha (28) deked before scoring on a backhand through Sorokin’s five-hole at 14:35.
And Mantha added to his career-high goal total when gave the Penguins a 5-3 lead less than three minutes later. Brazeau snapped a cross ice pass to Mantha in the left circle, but rather than one-time it or try to pick a corner, Mantha (29) drove to the net, deking around Sorokin to slide a backhand into an empty cage at 17:18.
By the end of the second, Mantha had three points and Brazeau had a pair of important helpers.
Ben Kindel was especially strong Monday, and in the third period he stacked a couple of outstanding shifts before setting up Avery Hayes (3) in the crease for a backbreaking goal and 6-3 lead at 6:06 of the third.
Brazeau earned his third assist when Rakell (19) put back Brazeau’s rebound at 7:54 of the third. Defenseman Parker Wotherspoon also had a pair of assists.
Bryan Rust capped the scoring by beating Rittich with a wrister from the slot at 16:16 of the third.
After the Islanders scored their third goal, the Penguins allowed just eight more shots. Silovs stopped 19 of 22 shots. Sorokin stopped 22 of 29 before being pulled in the third period for backup David Rittich.
And big 6-foot-8 Penguins winger Elmer Soderblom clearly got the better of Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield in a third period fight. Soderblom was an assist away from a Gordie Howe hat trick.
Penguins Notes
Muse shuffled the Penguins’ lines Monday, removing Tommy Novak as the second line center and inserting Avery Hayes into the lineup, amongst several other swaps.
Egor Chinakhov-Sidney Crosby Bryan Rust
Anthony Mantha-Rickard Rakell-Justin Brazeau
Tommy Novak–Ben Kindel-Avery Hayes
Elmer Soderblom-Connor Dewar-Noel Acciari
Categorized:Penguins Postgame
