Bailey Lifts Islanders Over Penguins In Shootout Win

NEW YORK (AP) — Josh Bailey scored a short-handed goal in the second period and then the only goal in a shootout to lift the New York Islanders over the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 on Thursday night.

Thomas Greiss made 29 saves as the Islanders swept a home-and-home set with the Penguins. New York also improved to 5-0-0 against Metropolitan Division rivals this season.

Islanders captain Anders Lee gave his team a 2-1 lead at 10:11 of the third with his fifth goal of the season, assisted by Thomas Hickey and Brock Nelson.

Evgeni Malkin tied it at 2 with a power-play goal at 12:02. Kris Letang and Phil Kessel had assists on Malkin's seventh goal, which extended his point streak to nine games.

Malkin leads the Penguins with 20 points. He has points in 10 of his 11 games this season, and 15 of his last 19 against the Islanders.

Dominik Simon scored first for the Penguins on a power play at 6:20 of the first, tapping a rebound past Greiss. Jake Guentzel and Olli Maatta assisted. Simon extended his point streak to five games with third goal of the season.

Bailey tied it with a slick short-handed goal off a splendid pass off the right boards from Casey Cizikas at 14:46 of the second.

Bailey skated in on Matt Murray before sliding the puck between the goalie's pads for his third goal of the season to extend his point streak to seven games. The 29-year-old forward, in his 11th season with the Islanders, leads the team with 13 points.

The Islanders, playing their fourth home game of the season, were coming off a 6-3 road win over the Penguins on Tuesday and a three-game division road trip with wins at Washington, Carolina and Pittsburgh. They are 4-0-1 in their last five games.

Greiss especially kept the Islanders in this one with an acrobatic glove save on Kessel and a breakaway stop on defenseman Jamie Oleksiak.

Greiss also made two great saves in overtime, including a denial of defenseman Jack Johnson in front and Sidney Crosby on a breakaway with a stick check.

The Islanders outshot the Penguins 10-9 in the first period. Pittsburgh had a 13-8 advantage in the second and each team had six shots in the third.

Letang returned after missing Tuesday's game with a lower-body injury. By playing in his 692nd game, the 31-year-old defenseman passed former Pittsburgh goalie Marc-Andre Fleury for eighth place on the franchise list.

NOTES: Islanders forward Jordan Eberle played his 600th career game. ... The Islanders scratched forward Ross Johnston, defenseman Luca Sbisa and goaltender Robin Lehner. ... Pittsburgh scratched defense man Juuso Riikola.

UP NEXT

Penguins: Host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday.

Islanders: Host the New Jersey Devils on Saturday.

(© Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)