NY Islanders 5, Pittsburgh 3
When: 7:00 PM ET, Thursday, March 29, 2012
Where: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York
Referees:
Chris Rooney, Rob Martell
Linesmen:
Scott Driscoll, Tim Nowak
Attendance:
12018
By SportsDirect Inc.
ISLANDERS 5, PENGUINS 3: Josh Bailey registered two goals and three assists while Kyle Okposo scored twice as New York edged visiting Pittsburgh to complete a sweep of their home-and-home series.
Marty Reasoner scored his first goal in over a year and Al Montoya made 26 saves for the Islanders, who have won five of six following a five-game skid.
Bailey, who collected eight points in the two games with Pittsburgh, began his career-best five-point performance by helping set up Reasoner for his first tally since March 8, 2011 with less than nine minutes remaining in the first period.
Bailey assisted on a power-play goal by Okposo, who stretched his goal-scoring run to four contests, with 3:24 left in the second before beating Marc-Andre Fleury with a backhander on a shorthanded breakaway exactly two minutes later for a 3-1 lead.
He then made a nifty pass from the right side of the net to Okposo, who tallied from the doorstep less than six minutes into the third for his career-high 20th goal. Jordan Staal and league scoring leader Evgeni Malkin tallied later in the third to get Pittsburgh within one, but Bailey sealed the win with an empty-netter in the waning seconds.
Pascal Dupuis extended his points streak to 12 games with a shorthanded goal and Fleury stopped 19 shots for the Penguins, who have lost three of four overall and three straight on the road. Pittsburgh remained five points behind the New York Rangers for first in the Eastern Conference.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Reasoner's goal was his first in 71 games. ... Dupuis has scored nine times in his last 12 contests. ... Penguins captain Sidney Crosby left early in the second after being hit in the face with a puck but returned later in the period. ... Okposo's two-goal effort was his second of the season. ... Malkin's goal was his 100th point of the campaign, the third time he has reached that plateau. ... Pittsburgh hadn't lost two straight in regulation since dropping six in a row from Dec. 29-Jan. 11.
Top Game Performances
| Pittsburgh |
|
NY Islanders |
|
Paul Martin 2 |
Points |
Josh Bailey 5 |
|
Pascal Dupuis 1 |
Goals |
Josh Bailey 2 |
|
Paul Martin 2 |
Assists |
Josh Bailey 3 |
|
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
Kyle Okposo 1 |
|
Pascal Dupuis 1 |
Short Handed Goals |
Josh Bailey 1 |
|
Marc-Andre Fleury .826 |
Save Percentage |
Al Montoya .897 |
|
Marc-Andre Fleury 19 |
Saves |
Al Montoya 26 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Pittsburgh
|
29 |
3 |
0-4 |
3-4 |
10 |
22 |
| NY Islanders
|
24 |
5 |
1-4 |
4-4 |
10 |
23 |
Upcoming Games
-
NY Islanders will play their next game at home against Boston. The Islanders have a W/L % of .438 after a win and .422 after a loss.
-
Pittsburgh will play their next game on the road against Buffalo. The Penguins have a W/L % of .638 after a win and .567 after a loss.
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