3 Takeaways: Isles Claw Back in 5-4 Comeback Win Over Penguins

The New York Islanders gained some ground on a team they're chasing, beating the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-4 on Friday night in front of an electrified home crowd at UBS Arena.
Anders Lee (2G,1A), Brock Nelson (2G, 1A) and Zach Parise (GWG) powered the offense for the Islanders, while Sidney Crosby (1G, 1A), Rickard Rakell (2G) and Jason Zucker scored for the Penguins.

"We fought this one out to the end," Lee said following the win. "Our guys stuck with it and we found a way tonight and that's exactly what we needed to start this weekend. Let's just build off it."
Down 4-2 in the final minute of the second period, the Islanders resiliency earned them a crucial win. As a result, the Islanders snuck into the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference and tied the Penguins at 63 points, but Pittsburgh still holds four games in-hand. The Capitals were boxed out of the playoff picture at 62 points, but have a game in-hand against the Islanders.

ISLES GAIN GROUND WITH THIRD PERIOD COMEBACK:

When Rickard Rakell made it 4-2 with 63 seconds left in the second period, a high-stakes game suddenly looked like an uphill climb for the Islanders, faced with the prospect of being down two goals entering the third.
Last minute goals can be backbreakers, but Anders Lee stepped up with a big goal - his second of the night - with 28 seconds left in the second frame kept the Islanders within one, sparking a shift before the second intermission.
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KINGER'S CALLS
Lee Ties It
Nelson Nets One
Lee Strikes Again
Nelson's PPG
Parise's GWG
"That was the turning point, if you can pick one," Head Coach Lane Lambert said of Lee's second goal. "Getting a goal after they just scored. No question it was huge."
Down 4-3 entering the final period, the Islanders began to rally against the Penguins after being outshot 37-18 through the first 40 minutes.
Nelson buried a feed from Noah Dobson on the power play to even the score at four apiece, as momentum built from there. The Islanders were able to shut down Pittsburgh's offense for a solid third period, outshooting the Penguins 10-7. Parise, playing in his 1,200th game, drove to the net and received a feed from Nelson to win the game with 2:43 left in the game. Ilya Sorokin and the Islanders defense held strong to stave off Pittsburgh during a furious final push.
Two regulation points were a big deal as the Isles continue to chase the Pens, providing UBS Arena with an electric atmosphere.
"The feeling in the locker room and the buzz in the rink, it just had a little bit of a playoff atmosphere and the fans understand the situation too," Parise said.
With the win, the Islanders re-entered the playoff picture, sliding into the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, moving to fifth in the Metropolitan Division in the process.

SECOND PERIOD SHOOTING GALLERY:

Although the Penguins dominated the second frame with the edge on shots 19-10 and three goals, the Islanders kept themselves within one.
The second period in Friday's contest was a wild one, as the two teams combined for five goals.
At first it was all Pittsburgh, as the Penguins recorded the first eight shots of the period, and outshot the Isles 10-1 in the first five and a half minutes, turning a 1-1 tie into a 3-1 lead in the process. Both goals came via deflection, as Rakell and Zucker tipped pucks to add onto Sidney Crosby's first period tally. Lane Lambert had seen enough and the Islanders coach called a timeout at the 5:35 mark.
"I think it was it was good timing," Parise said of the timeout. "It was needed. It was a wakeup call, we needed to regroup a little bit and fortunately it worked and we were able to respond."
After the timeout call, the Islanders began to claw their way back with a goal from Brock Nelson, who steered past Jeff Petry, swinging behind the net before completing a wraparound to beat DeSmith, cutting the deficit in half, 3-2.
Rakell retaliated with his second goal of the night to regain the two-goal lead, but Anders Lee also struck twice with a goal in the last 28 seconds of the middle frame.

LEE AND NELSON SHINE ON DIFFERENT LINES:

Lambert switched up the lines ahead of the matchup against Pittsburgh, in hopes of the captain generating more offensively after recording one point in his last five games. Lee responded with a three-point performance (2G, 1A) against Pittsburgh - marking the second three-pointer of the season - and fourth time he found the back of the net twice.
"Those two are some extremely skilled players," Lee said of playing with Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal. "And they bring a lot to the table in different ways. think we've worked off each other really well tonight, hopefully we can continue to build on that."
Lee found a spark on the top line, scoring twice including in a unique goal to tie the game in the first. Lee redirected a feed from Barzal, which DeSmith initially saved. Thinking he was on top of the puck, DeSmith laid down to cover, but Lee spotted the puck first and chipped it off his waist and into the net to even the score at one apiece in the first frame. Lee had three of his team-leading six shots in the opening period.
Despite losing his left winger, Nelson stayed hot, extending his career-long point streak to 12 games (9G, 7A) with a three-point night. With 55 points on the season, Nelson is inching closer toward his career-high 59 points, which was achieved last season through 72 games.
Parise was without his consistent center in Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who is on the team's IR list with an upper body injury, and was able to get ice time with Nelson on the second line.

NEXT GAME:

The Islanders are back in action on Saturday night as they visit the Boston Bruins. Puck drop is at 5 p.m.