Islanders Hold-Off Penguins 4-3
The Pittsburgh Penguins had eight power play chances against the New York Islanders, and that was the difference in the game - a game Pittsburgh lost.
The Islanders managed to kill seven of those chances, and got the game-winner late in the second period on a power-play goal by Bryan Smolinski in a 4-3 victory Thursday night.
"They blocked a lot of shots, and I managed to see a lot of shots," Islanders goalie Tommy Salo said of his defense. "(The Penguins) have a lot of good lines."
The game was a see-saw affair.
The Penguins took a 1-0 lead 6:16 into the game on the first of two goals by Kevin Hatcher. Hatcher put a one-timer from the left circle past Salo on a power play.
Jason Dawe tied the contest 23 seconds later on a slot slapper, and Kenny Jonsson put New York up 2-1 at 9:19 on a right point slapper that ticked off a Penguin and sailed over goalie Peter Skudra.
Pittsburgh tied the game at 11:26 when Robert Dome beat Salo with a wrister from the right circle. Hatcher put the Penguins back up at 13:24 on another one-timer.
"It was wild and woolly for a while," Islanders coach Mike Milbury said of the opening 20 minutes. "We played with more composure as the game went on."
New York scored twice in the second period. Trevor Linden tied the game at 3:30 with a wrist shot from the low slot that caught the upper right corner.
The Islanders took the lead for good with 64 seconds left in the period when on their second and final power play, Smolinski took a rising slap shot from the right point.
It sailed past several bodies and wound up in the top right corner past a screened Skudra.
"I've been there before," Smolinski said of playing the point on the power play.
The goal was his first in 14 games, and he added that it was a "small relief.
"I'm thinking that maybe I can get one and then get a few more and salvage the year," he said.
The goal was just his 12th this season, down from 28 last season.
The Islanders salvaged the win with stellar penalty killing. They fought off three disadvantages in the last 10 minutes, including the final 61 seconds, when Pittsburgh had a two-man advantage with Skudra pulled.
The Penguins managed two shots in the last attempt, four total in the three attempts in the period and 11 in the eight overall attempts.
"In the end, we didn't get it done on the power play," Pittsburgh coach Kevin Constantine said. "Specialty teams were a factor."
The Penguins are winless on the road in their last five games (0-4-1), and Hatcher things he knows what the problem is.
"I think that what cost us was not playing a very smart game," he said. "I don't know if you can say that it was (a lacof) hard work, but it wasn't hard and smart, I can tell you that."
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