Sidney Crosby, Penguins Face 3-0 Series Deficit After 4-1 Loss to Islanders

The New York Islanders took a 3-0 series lead over the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Islanders went on the road and earned a 4-1 victory Sunday at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.  

New York jumped on Pittsburgh early, with Brock Nelson and Jordan Eberle giving the Islanders a 2-1 first-period lead. Robin Lehner made 25 saves as those goals were enough to see the Islanders through to the victory.

The Penguins will hope to prolong the series Tuesday in Game 4. The Los Angeles Kings in 2014 are the last team to come back from a 3-0 playoff deficit, and only four teams in NHL history have achieved the feat.

The Penguins averaged the sixth-most goals (3.30) in the NHL during the regular season, but their high-powered attack has been absent over the past two games.

New York clearly made Sidney Crosby a priority, and the seven-time All-Star remains without a point in the series. The Islanders are taking a physical approach toward defending Crosby, with the results of their strategy evident.

When an opponent stifles Crosby to this degree, the supporting cast needs to step up. That didn't happen in either Game 2 or Game 3. As a result, the front office might have to tackle some big questions about the current roster.

Garrett Wilson got Pittsburgh off to an excellent start by scoring the opener at the 12:54 mark of the first period. Within two minutes, though, the Islanders were ahead.

Eberle somehow navigated his shot into the tight window between Matt Murray's right shoulder pad and the post. Nelson's tally was more straightforward as he capitalized on a two-on-one advantage to beat Murray with a wrist shot.

"We've got to do a better job of hanging on to momentum when we get it," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said after the game, per the team's Twitter account. "There's not a lot of risk associated with the Islanders game. They have a defense-first mentality. Our identity is different. We have to be more disciplined in the critical areas of the rink."

Leo Komarov made it a 3-1 game at the 10:27 mark of the third period. Valtteri Filppula passed the puck across to Anthony Beauvillier, who laid it off perfectly for Komarov.

Anders Lee tacked on a fourth goal for good measure after the Penguins pulled Murray.

With their season on the line, one would expect a firm response from the Penguins in Game 4, but a comeback looks out of the question. The Islanders simply look like a better team and have a coach, Barry Trotz, who has seen Pittsburgh a lot during the postseason.

New York should be able to close things out when the series returns to Nassau Coliseum for Game 5—if it hasn't already guaranteed passage to the second round before then.