Penguins Beat the Islanders 8-3 In A Playoff Type Game At UBS Arena
The Penguins and the Islanders played an important game on Monday night at UBS Arena. This was a home game for the Islanders, but they were not able to pull out a victory and solidify their playoff chances. They lost 8-3.
This game had a playoff feel. All the playoff predictors said that the winner of this game was very likely to make the playoffs, and the loser would be challenged. What do you think the odds are of both these teams making the playoffs?
Penguins and Islanders Scoring Summary
The Islanders and the Penguins have played twice previously this season. Each team has won one game, at home, in the season series. The Islanders are coming off a big 5-2 win against the Florida Panthers. The Penguins are coming off a 6-3 loss to the Dallas Stars. Here is a scoring summary of the game.
In the first period, there were no goals. Though it was a fast-moving and tight-checking period. The game had a playoff feel. Viewers and attendees got that sense from watching the first period. In the second period, there were eight goals scored. First, the Islanders’ captain, Andres Lee, scored for a 1-0 lead.
Then Mat Barzal scored for the Islanders, giving them a 2-0 lead. However, the Penguins answered right back. Elmer Soderblom scored, and it was 2-1. Breyden Schenn then scored for the Islanders to give them a short-lived 3-1 lead.
How The Penguins Answered Back
The Penguins answered back with two goals. Rickard Rakell and Ryan Shea scored. It was 3-3, and that was only Shea’s fifth goal of the year. The Rankall goal was short-handed. Anthony Manta scored for the Penguins, and they had a 4-3 lead. Then Manta scored again, giving the Penguins a 5-3 lead.
In the third period, Kendal Hayes scored for Pittsburgh, and they took a 6-3 lead. The Islanders are now officially chasing in this game. Then Richard Rackell scored. That goal made it 7-3, and Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin was pulled. Then Bryan Rust scored for Pittsburgh. That made it 8-3.
Player of the Game
The Player of the Game was Anthony Matha of the Pittsburgh Penguins. He had two goals and an assist in the second period. In the other two periods, Matha was a general irritant. For the Islanders, Andres Lee was the player of the game. He scored the first goal of the game for the Islanders. The first of eight goals in the period.
Turning Point of the Game
The turning point of the game was the Noel Acciari tripping penalty. The Penguins scored short-handed on that power-play for the Islanders. Then they just kept on scoring in that second period. Rackall scored the short-handed goal. Then Shea scored, and Matha scored twice.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Penguins beat the Islanders in this game 8-3. The player of the game was Anthony Mantha for the Penguins. He had two goals and an assist in the second period. The turning point of the game, maybe the season, was the Islanders’ power play when Noel Accari took a penalty.
Pittsburgh scored shorthanded, and then they kept right on scoring. The Islanders play tomorrow night in Buffalo. They are up against it. Buffalo is a good team, and they blew this one. The Penguins host Detroit tomorrow.
Parting Shots
The Islanders needed to win this game. It was at home, and it was against the nearest team to them in the standings. In fact, Pittsburgh has been near them all season. Instead, this turned out to be an embarrassing home loss. Now, they have a game tomorrow night in Buffalo against a good Sabres team. It is a near must-win game.
