Takeaways: Islanders Beat Penguins 4-2 in Second Straight Comeback Win

The New York Islanders showcased their resilience and grit once again, rallying from a 2-0 deficit to take a 4-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night at PPG Paints Arena. The win marked their second third period rally in as many games.

Kyle Palmieri (1G, 2A), Noah Dobson (1G, 1A), Pierre Engvall (GWG) and Simon Holmstrom (ENG) scored in the third period in the comeback victory, while Ilya Sorokin backstopped the Isles with 20 saves. Joona Koppanen and Sidney Crosby scored for the Penguins and Tristian Jarry made 34 saves in defeat.

The win echoed the same storyline to Sunday’s 4-2 win over the Florida Panthers. The Islanders were down 2-0 after 40 minutes in both games, but found a way to win in the third period. This marked consecutive comeback wins when trailing by multiple goals in the third period for the fourth time in franchise history, whether the final came within 60 minutes or beyond regulation.

“We knew we’ve done it just a game ago,” Engvall said. “It brings the confidence up and we’ve been coming back in a lot of games. This group knows it. We’re confident and we just kept going, and it was successful.”

The win pulled the Islanders (70 points) within three points of the Montreal Canadiens (73 points), who beat the Ottawa Senators 6-3 on Tuesday night to jump into the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. The New York Rangers (72 points) were bounced out of the playoff picture after a 2-1 loss to the Calgary Flames. The Detroit Red Wings (70 points) fell 4-1 to the Washington Capitals.

“We know we’re capable of getting ourselves back in this race and finding a way to get in there,” Palmieri said. “Nothing has really changed. That outside noise that’s been around all year hasn’t wavered our confidence. We’re excited to rise to the challenge coming down the stretch.”

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Islanders had a hop to their step early with a 5-0 shot advantage in the opening minutes, but the Penguins were quick to steal the momentum.

The Pens broke through first 4:40 into the game when Koppanen scored his first career NHL goal 4:40 into the game with a deflection on a Vladislav Kolyachonok blast from the point to make it 1-0.

Though the Isles held a 12-9 edge on shots in the opening 20, the Penguins found a way to make it 2-0 before the period ended. A shot from Connor Timmins was blocked by Holmstrom’s skates, but he snuck a pass to Crosby, who swiftly wristed a shot from the right circle to take a 2-0 advantage with 15 seconds left in the first period. Head Coach Patrick Roy challenged for goaltender interference, but it was unsuccessful.

The Islanders found themselves in the exact same situation they were in on Sunday – down 2-0 heading into the third period – and saw a familiar, huge opportunity. The Islanders stuck to their game and kept pushing.

“I don’t think we were feeling terrible about the way we played,” Palmieri said. “It was a matter of going out there and executing offensively.”

Palmieri sprung on a breakaway, beating Jarry as the puck hit the post, then banked off his skates and into the net to get the Islanders on the board 17 seconds into the third period. Shortly after, Dobson made a diving backhand play off a Horvat rebound to tie the game at two apiece at 5:34 of the third period.

Armed with all of the momentum, the Isles continued to press, and eventually took a lead as Engvall whizzed past Ryan Graves and ripped a shot past Jarry to make it 3-2 lead at the 13:08 mark of the third. Holmstrom – for the second straight game – sealed the deal with an empty-net goal.

PENALTY KILL IS PERFECT IN WIN

The penalty kill went a perfect 3-for-3 against a Penguins power play that ranked eighth in the league (24.3%) coming into the contest.

The Isles penalty kill came up big in intense moments, as the Isles fended off a delay of game penalty after the failed challenge for goalie interference at the end of the first period and also killed a big one late in the third period to protect a 3-2 lead.

“The guys did a really nice job,” Roy said. “Everybody is engaged. Everybody is committed. Guys deserve a lot of credit for what they’re doing right now.”

LINEUP NOTES

Adam Pelech drew back into the lineup after missing Sunday’s contest with a lower-body injury. Pelech skated a team-high 26:00 in his return, tied for the team lead of five shots on goal with Anders Lee and skated with Tony DeAngelo in their first game starting on a pair.

Alexander Romanov and Adam Boqvist missed the game due to illnesses.

ODDS AND ENDS

• Noah Dobson has goals in two straight games, also earning the first star of the game honors in both contests.
• Kyle Palmieri netted his 21^st goal of the season
• The Isles are 0-for-18 on the power play in the last five games.

NOTABLE QUOTE

Roy on the upcoming four-game homestand:

“What we want is to excite our fans and having them believing in us. That’s what our guys have been doing. They've been resilient. They've been working hard and we believe in ourselves. I hope our fans are going to be excited and come to watch us play.”

NEXT GAME

The Islanders return to Long Island to open a four-game homestand that kicks off on Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m.