Carter scores twice, wows Penguins in Game 3 win

Jeff Carter continued to fit in with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday, scoring twice in a 5-4 win against the New York Islanders in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup First Round at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York.

The center gave Pittsburgh a 4-3 lead at 7:00 of the third period. That power-play goal, on a wrist shot to the short side from low in the left face-off circle, helped the Penguins reset after blowing a third-period lead for the second time in the series.
"It was a bit of a roller coaster tonight," Carter said. "But we stuck with it. ... It's a resilient group. You give one up, you get right back on the horse and get working."
The Penguins lead the best-of-7 series 2-1 with Game 4 at New York on Saturday (3 p.m. ET; NBC, SN, TVAS).
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Pittsburgh entered the third leading 3-1 before Cal Clutterbuck scored at 3:46 and Anthony Beauvillier tied it 3-3 on the power play at 5:54. Beauvillier's goal came with the Penguins' top line (Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust) and top defense pair (Kris Letang and Brian Dumoulin) in the penalty box.
It was reminiscent of Sunday, when the Penguins controlled Game 1 through two periods and led 2-1 early in the third before losing 4-3 in overtime at home.
But Carter came through Thursday, like he has since being acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings on April 12. He leads the Penguins with three goals in the series after scoring nine in 14 regular-season games with Pittsburgh.
At this point, Letang said he's not surprised by Carter.
"You can't teach that," Letang said of Carter's second goal. "That's pure goal-scoring ability. He's been really good for us since he got with our team. … I don't know if you expect it. But I know he's one of the guys that can make it happen."
Carter's first goal, on a wrist shot from the right circle, put Pittsburgh ahead 2-1 at 13:33 of the second.

Before traveling to New York on Wednesday, coach Mike Sullivan said Carter has provided the locker room "a little bit more swagger." He's also given the Penguins the center depth they've lacked since losing Nick Bonino in the 2017 offseason.
"On any given night, any line can score," Sullivan said. "Any line can help us offensively. We have lines that we can utilize in different situations depending on what's called upon during the course of a game. So I think [Carter's] addition has been huge to our team."
With second-line center Evgeni Malkin back from an undisclosed injury that held him out in the first two games of the series, Carter is the third-line center with left wing Jared McCann and Frederick Gaudreau. He said he's grown into the role smoothly.
"To be honest with you, I really didn't know where I was going to fit in coming in, whether it was wing, center, whatnot," Carter said. "But I think, as I've settled in and played with some different lines and whatnot, I think I've really enjoyed my role. … It's been a real easy group to come into. When you get traded sometimes, it takes a while for guys to get comfortable.
"Everybody was great. As a new guy coming in, when you feel comfortable in a room as quick as possible, it kind of accelerates the process."