Sidney Crosby Leads Pittsburgh Penguins to Squeak by Improved New York Islanders

Sidney Crosby vs. John Tavares.  The NHL's newest comparison.

Tonight, Crosby came out on top, despite the excitement surrounding Tavares' first NHL goal.

The last time the Pens were in the Nassau Coliseum, it was Feb. 16, 2009, the day Dan Bylsma made his NHL debut as head coach.  Similarly, the Pens played a very iffy game that took them into overtime, and later, a shootout.  The only difference is that the Pens came out victorious by the skin of their teeth.

The Islanders fed off the crowd, and came out with a ton of aggression, making statements early on by throwing down the gloves.  The loudest statement?  "We are a different team."  I don't deny it.  The Islanders did two things incredibly well:  getting physical and putting the puck behind the Pens' defense. 

I feel the Islanders played well enough to win this game, but beating the "never say die" Penguins requires more than that.  That was where Fleury stepped in, making game-changing saves that included a breakaway on Tavares.

This was a very strange game for the Pens.  The ice didn't look like it agreed with any of the players which made for a lot of stumbles, bouncing pucks and awful passes.  McKee and Fedotenko went to the locker rooms respectively halfway through the first period, Fedotenko for an arm injury after a crunching Witt hit and McKee to serve 17 minutes of an instigation/misconduct/fighting penalty. 

Perfect on the penalty kill against the Rangers the previous night, the Pens allowed two PP goals and went 0-3 on their own powerplay after registering a 1-2 against the Rangers.

Things started to click at the start of the third, when a massive offensive onslaught allowed the Pens to tie the game twice on an Eaton and Fedotenko goal.  Roloson eventually skated to the boards, gasping for breath near the end of the game.  He would face 42 shots. 

With a scoreless OT and an exhausted Roloson, the Pens did away with the Islanders in the shootout, with Letang and Crosby scoring, misses coming from Tambellini and Tavares.

The Pens got lucky with this game.  There was a lot of sloppy play that could have cost them the game.  I didn't know why it was so difficult to keep the puck in the Islanders' zone, but it felt as if no lateral pass could keep from crossing the blue line.  Passes were not crisp or tape-to-tape. 

With that said, I thought Kennedy had a fabulous game.  He plays hard every shift and has some definite speed in those skates. 

Crosby was also a fighter in this game with a team-high six shots on goal, and the shootout goal that brought the extra point to the Pens. 

I also want to add that Crosby reached the 400-point mark with his assist on Eaton's goal.  He was the sixth fastest player to reach that mark, behind Bossy, Lindros, Stastny, Lemieux and Gretzky.  Good company if you ask me.

The Pens were bound to hit an off game sooner rather than later; they are just lucky they managed to win this one and spoil a very memorable game for Tavares.  Regardless of the loss, the Islanders definitely have the makings of a future star in their hands.  His consistent growth will be crucial to the franchise.  Congrats, John, on your NHL debut, your first goal and a well-fought game.

As for the Pens, the road is only going to get tougher, but this team is up for the challenge.  Or any challenge, for the matter.