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Islanders expose the Penguins’ recurring issue all over again
Photo credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Stuart Skinner and the Pittsburgh Penguins let a win slip away against the New York Islanders, and it felt painfully familiar.
The Penguins played fast, got to pucks, and created enough chances to win on Tuesday.
They still walked out with a 5-4 overtime loss at UBS Arena.
The Penguins are now 28-15-12, and that extra point matters in the Metro squeeze.
They led 1-0, then watched two late first period goals flip it to 2-1 Islanders.
They battled back to a 3-2 lead, then grabbed a 4-3 lead with 9:20 left.
Then the Islanders tied it again, with Ryan Pulock beating Skinner clean to make it 4-4 with 4:36 left.
Skinner finished with 18 saves on 23 shots, and the math is ugly when your team only allows 23.
Egor Chinakhov, 25, a 2020 first-round pick by the Columbus Blue Jackets, kept looking like a top-six answer with a goal and steady danger off the rush.
Stuart Skinner puts Pittsburgh Penguins on edge
Pens fans can handle a hard loss, but not another night where "good process" dies between the pipes.
The Islanders tied it first on a rebound mess, then again on a late Pulock blast, and that is situational hockey biting back.
Overtime was the final gut punch.
Bo Horvat ended it 52 seconds in, finishing a breakaway for his second goal of the night.
If Pittsburgh keeps getting offense like this, the next step is simple: protect the middle late, and get one more save when the game turns tight.
Also read on HockeyUnplugged :
This forward's AHL assignment hints at a longer-term Penguins plan
This forward's AHL assignment hints at a longer-term Penguins plan
| POLL | ||
FEVRIER 4|89 ANSWERS Islanders expose the Penguins’ recurring issue all over again Should the Pittsburgh Penguins rethink Stuart Skinner’s workload after this New York Islanders loss? | ||
| Yes | 32 | 36 % |
| No | 57 | 64 % |
| List of polls | ||