Takeaways: Islanders Bounce Back with 6-3 Win Over Pens

After four days to stew on Monday’s loss, the New York Islanders channeled that energy into a 6-3 bounce-back win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night at UBS Arena.

“We wanted to respond well, especially with the way we went into the break,” said Casey Cizikas, who scored a pair of goals, including the game-winner. “I thought the way that we played tonight, even when they had a push at the end of the second, we didn't veer from what we wanted to achieve as a group. And I thought that third period showed a lot of character in this dressing room.”

Cizikas and Anders Lee led the way with two goals each while JG Pageau and Anthony Duclair scored for the Islanders, who scored six goals for the second time in three games.

Michael Bunting (PPG), Noel Accari and Rickard Rakell scored for the Penguins, who cut an Islanders 4-1 lead to 4-3 at the end of the second to give the Isles a bit of a scare before New York pulled away in the third.

Ilya Sorokin stopped 22 of 25 shots in the win, while Tristan Jarry stopped 28 of 33 in the loss, with the Isles scoring an empty-netter.

The win was a big one, narrowing the Isles (35 points) gap with the Penguins (37 points) to two points with a rematch on tap on Sunday night in Pittsburgh.

“It was an opportunity to get two point closer to these guys,” Head Coach Patrick Roy said. “Tomorrow, it's another opportunity to get two point closer to these guys, and we'll be even with them if we win that game. So that's the same mindset and that's all I want.”

TAKEAWAYS:

- Cizikas recorded the sixth two-goal game of his career on Saturday night – and first since March 20, 2021 – netting the eventual winner and insurance tallies. Cizikas’ offensive outburst came after a mid-game adjustment, with Roy swapping Cizikas with Max Tsyplakov after the Russian winger took his second offensive zone penalty. Cizikas finished the game on a line with Bo Horvat and Simon Holmstrom.

Cizikas’ first came via deflection, redirecting an Alexander Romanov shot past Tristan Jarry at 9:39. His second sealed it, as he turned a Holmstrom clear into a clear-cut breakaway, beating Jarry glove side at 14:43.

“The way they see the ice and the way they can create opportunities, I'm just trying to play my game,” Cizikas said. “Just get up the ice as quick as I can and try to create a turnover, or get in the forecheck hard.”

Roy didn’t commit to whether Cizikas had earned a long-term look next to Horvat and Holmstrom, but praised his game.

- Duclair was a-number one on Saturday night, scoring a goal to extend his point streak to three games (1G, 2A).

Duclair netted a feed from Kyle Palmieri to make it 2-1 at 5:39 of the second period, which counted as his third of the season and first since returning from a lower-body injury that kept him out for 28 games.

Even prior to scoring, Duclair had an active game. The Islanders winger drew some ahhs from the UBS Arena crowd for his dipsy-doodle around Erik Karlsson in the first period, but it was also his bump on Jarry that negated Brock Nelson’s would-be icebreaker on the same shift. Duclair created another quality chance, feeding Palmieri for a backdoor feed later in the period that went just wide.

Roy said he was pleased with Duclair’s game and the chances the line created as a whole.

- After Nelson’s goal was overturned, Pageau eventually made it 1-0 Islanders, depositing a terrific feed from Mathew Barzal. Pageau won an offensive zone draw and then posted up at the far post, allowing Barzal to fake out Rakell at the blue line and send a pass across the zone to Pageau for the opening tally.

That line eventually produced three goals, as Lee sent a puck into a goalmouth scramble that Kris Letang inadvertently swept into his own net to make it 3-1 at 8:36 of the second. Lee later netted an empty-netter on a wraparound, marking another productive night for the trio.

- The Islanders got into some penalty trouble at times on Saturday, taking four total, including three in the offensive zone. They paid for the second o-zone penalty as Michael Bunting tied the score 1-1 at 16:03, but finished the game going 3-for-4 on the kill.

- While the Islanders led 4-1, the Penguins didn’t go away, as Acciari was the first to a loose puck in the crease –Sorokin made the initial save, but lost the puck after Noah Dobson fell into him – to make it 4-2 at 13:49. Rakell made it 4-2 with four seconds left in the middle frame, deflecting a Matt Grzelcyk shot past Sorokin. That could have deflated the Islanders, but Roy reminded his group they’d won the period and the Isles went out with an attack mentality.

The Isles scored a pair of third period goals, but also held the Penguins to just four shots in the final frame.

We were not happy about that goal, don't get me wrong here, but we won the period, and that's what I said to the guys. We won that period, three, two. We had to win the third period, and that's exactly what we did.

NEWS AND NOTES:

• Sorokin recorded his 106^th win, tying Kelly Hrudey for fourth on the Islanders all-time wins list.
• Alexander Romanov each finished the game with two assists.
• The Islanders improved to 7-0-1 when Pageau scores a goal.

LINEUP NOTES:

The Islanders kept the same lineup from Monday’s game against Buffalo.

NOTABLE QUOTE:

Patrick Roy on a bounce-back effort by the Isles after Monday’s 7-1 loss:

“No one was happy to be embarrassed in front of our fans. They mentioned it after the game, and I could tell… They wanted to play that game. They wanted to play for our fans. They wanted to play hard for them and give them a good game. And that's exactly what they did.”

NEXT GAME:

The Islanders and Penguins wrap up a back-to-back, home-and-home set on Sunday evening. Puck drop is at 5:30 p.m.