Anders Lee scored with 2:44 remaining in regulation Saturday to give the New York Islanders a 4-3 victory over the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins.
On the only power play of the game, after Pittsburgh’s Teddy Blueger shot the puck over the glass from his own end, Lee lunged to poke in the puck as it was loose in the crease beside goaltender Tristan Jarry.
Jordan Eberle scored twice in the first period, Cal Clutterbuck also scored and Michael Dal Colle added two assists for New York, which halted a five-game losing streak (0-3-2).
Semyon Varlamov, playing in his 500th NHL game, made 28 saves.
Jake Guentzel had a goal and an assist for the Penguins, while Pierre-Olivier Joseph and Evgeni Malkin scored for the Penguins, who are 1-3-1 in their past five games. Jarry made 22 saves.
Pittsburgh winger Jared McCann left in the first period for an unspecified reason.
Eberle gave the Islanders a 1-0 lead at 10:22 of the first. After Pittsburgh’s Drew O’Connor turned the puck over at the far blue line, Eberle moved through the left circle, shouldered his way past defenseman Cody Ceci and roofed a backhander over Jarry’s right shoulder.
At 13:43 of the first, Joseph tied it with his first career goal. He started the rush in his own end, wound up taking a feed from Guentzel and scored on a rising far side shot.
Eberle struck again at 15:45 of the first. Jarry stopped a shot by Brock Nelson, and Eberle poked the short rebound in for a 2-1 New York lead.
Malkin tied it with 15.2 seconds left in the second. Kasperi Kapanen halted an Islanders attempt to clear the zone and fed Malkin in the left circle. He snapped a shot past Varlamov’s glove.
Guentzel broke the tie and gave Pittsburgh its first lead at 3-2 a mere 3:19 into the third period when he took a backhand pass from Sidney Crosby at the left hash marks and threaded the puck inside the near post.
A slick pass by Casey Cizikas from behind the Penguins net set up Clutterbuck, who tied it once more at 8:23 of the third.
–Field Level Media
