Endgame: Penguins 4, Islanders 3

The Pens’ recent line changes helped them to two straight wins coming into Friday’s meeting with the New York Islanders at CONSOL Energy Center, but it was the tried-and-true line of Chris Kunitz, Sidney Crosby and Pascal Dupuis that gave them their third straight, as the they combined for the winning goal with 1:16 left in regulation to give them a wild 4-3 win over the Islanders.

The three of them were reunited after Beau Bennett left the game in the third period (coach Dan Bylsma did not have an update after the game). Kunitz went in hard on the forecheck to separate his man from the puck and Dupuis was there to pick it up and find Crosby in front, who put it past Islanders goalie Kevin Poulin for his 12th of the season and 250th of his career.

“Yeah, they feel good,” Crosby said of getting the winner so late. “And that definitely wasn’t our best game. We had a lot of chances and probably could have put it away early, (but) they hung around. They generated a lot. We gave them a few turnovers, but they’re a good offensive team. So to find a way to win that one is important and we’ll try to be better tomorrow (in Montreal).

Kunitz scored twice while Evgeni Malkin snapped his career-long 15-game goalless drought. Jeff Zatkoff made 32 saves in his fourth start for the Penguins. >> Continue Reading <<

Post Game: Coach Bylsma
Post Game: Sidney Crosby
Post Game: Evgeni Malkin
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