PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – There are still 25 games left in the regular season, but a game where the Pens seemed to be in control against a division rival got away. Islanders come back, again, in the third period for a 4-2 win over the Pens Monday night.
The loss drops the Pens currently out of the playoffs with the Islanders in the top Wild Card spot with 65 points, Florida next with 64, the Pens with 63, Washington with 62, Buffalo and Detroit with 60 points.
Pens got on the board first and, like the game in New York on Friday, controlled most of the first period with only a few solid saves from Ilya Sorokin keeping it close. Rickard Rakell attacking down the middle with a pass over to Sidney Crosby who put all he could on a backhander that made it through a pair of Islanders onto the stick of Jake Guentzel, who finished for a 1-0 lead. Pens had a 19-7 shots advantage after one.
Seemingly the first Islanders quality chance of the game, they converted. Brock Nelson snapped a shot over the stick-hand of Tristan Jarry to make it 1-1 early in the second. Pens would answer on the power play with the second unit on. Kasperi Kapanen dug it out of the corner out top to Jeff Petry. His shot off the crossbar and Jason Zucker gathered and shot the rebound, that saved, the puck went behind the net where Zucker shot it off the back of Sorokin for a 2-1 lead. You could see the Pens started to lose some steam in the second, let down again by their power play.
A good start to the third period though, Pens controlling early until New York's Bo Horvat from a tough angle on the right side and the puck went through Jarry to make it 2-2 at 8:34. A big mistake by the Pens goalie set up the next Isles goal. Making his first start since January 22, he misplayed a puck, Islanders controlled. Pens forward Teddy Blueger got his stick on it near the net but couldn't control it and Anders Lee put it past Jarry in the paint for New York's first lead, 3-2 with 9:45 to play in the third. Isles would add an empty-netter for the final.
"Hockey is a game of momentum," said Pens head coach Mike Sullivan. "It's going to be hard to dominate a whole game against opponents. You are going to have moments where you carry play. Teams are going to have push-back, they have good players too. We just didn't control the game to the level we did in the first period, but that's a tough challenge to do that."
"Instead of finding a way to win, we found a way to lose," Sullivan said.
Jarry Return
His first game in nearly a month after an upper-body injury, Jarry gave up a couple goals in the third he would like back, but stopped 28 other shots.
"It's obviously tough this time of year to come back in," Jarry said. "You don't have many practices. You don't have many opportunities to skate. That's the toughest thing of all is just getting back to game action. It was good. It's always tough when you've almost had two months off (referring to previous lower-body injury at the Winter Classic)"
"I thought it was pretty solid most of the night," Sullivan said. "When he's at his best, he probably doesn't give up the goals late. To his defense, he hasn't played in a while. We are trying to get him in game shape. It's kind of baptism by fire. I think he will get better with every game he plays. It's hard to simulate that in a practice environment."
Jarry added he believes it will only get better from here.
Fight Night
Following a crazy stick save by goalie Sorokin late in the second period, Jason Zucker and Evgeni Malkin were part of a series of fights that lasted a couple of minutes near the end of the second period. The result was, a standing ovation from the fans, with 14 penalties and 54 combined penalty minutes with Zucker and the Islanders Ross Johnston getting game misconduct penalties.
Up Next
Pens welcome the Western Wild Card leaders Edmonton Thursday at 7p with Connor McDavid, 42 goals (102 points), Leon Draisaitl, 33 goals (82 points), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman each with 27 goals.
