PITTSBURGH — There’s still life in these Islanders.
Two days after taking their biggest punch of the season, the Islanders got up off the mat and did a great job, scoring from Adam Pelech and defeating the Penguins at 5-5 in overtime in a game Tuesday at PPG Paints Arena. They defeated them in 4 and ended their losing streak in 3. winner.
The locker room has looked the worst it’s been all year since Sunday’s overtime loss to the Rangers, but with each loss worsening the playoff calculus, a win here was a must.
Achieving that thanks to the penalty kill is a unit that has struggled endlessly all season, but a perfect 3-on-3 performance on the penalty kill marks the beginning of something for the Isles. It is very necessary to become, and it is the icing on the cake. .
At 16 minutes, 35 seconds into the second game, the Islanders were declared delayed after coach Patrick Roy succumbed to Lars Eller’s handpass challenge on goal, cutting the Islanders’ lead to 3-2. A test has come.
Not only did the Isles close out the game with some good stickwork and a play from Ilya Sorokin, but they were called for a repeat less than a minute after Mike Riley stumbled and was ejected.
On the power play across the second and third periods, the Islanders kept the play intact, played through moments that seemed designed to sink, and did what they had to do.
Pierre Envall got in on the act, blocking his 13th and 14th shots of the season on long defensive zone moves after a penalty expired.
The Islanders appeared to have turned things around when Riley extended the lead to 4-2 at 10:42 of the third.
However, Valtteri Pustinen and Drew O’Connor scored goals within three minutes of Riley’s goal, forcing Pittsburgh to a 4-4 tie and giving the Islanders a sense of déjà vu.
But Pelech had something to say about it, scoring in overtime to stop the Islanders from losing their third straight game in overtime, stopping what would have been a heartbreaking loss.
The Islanders looked to have the upper hand early in the game, but the Penguins ended the first period with a 1-0 lead after Scott Mayfield lost Marcus Pettersson, and the Swede made a free throw from the right circle. He took a one-timer shot and made it right away. .
This was quickly corrected by Brock Nelson, who slotted past Pettersson on his way to a backhand finish to tie it at 2:3:40.
And after getting his first kill of the night on a penalty kick, Matt Barzal came out of the penalty box with the puck on his stick and no defender in sight, making it an easy escape.
At 13:15, Simon Holmstrom hit the right post to make it 3-1, but an errant high shot pulled Pittsburgh back to one point and Roy’s challenge failed.
What follows will be a test of character and will, and the Islanders have failed many times this season trying to maintain a lead.
On Tuesday, they finished the game with two points, just like they did a year ago. The come-from-behind victory cushioned the impact of Barzal going down with an injury two days earlier in Boston.
That was the beginning of a run that led the Islanders to the postseason.
This should be the same.
