Arbour-led Islanders conquer Penguins

The coach was invited back to coach the team for the
1,500th time, and won, 3-2.

UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) — Al Arbour went out a winner this time.

Nothing could’ve been more fitting for Long Island’s greatest champion.

In his return to the bench for one night only, the Arbour-led New York Islanders rallied from a two-goal deficit and beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 Saturday night.

Arbour was behind the bench for the Islanders’ four Stanley Cup championships in the 1980s and was invited back to coach the team for the 1,500th time. He earned win No. 740 behind two goals by Miroslav Satan, with the winner coming with only 2:41 left when Satan put in a rebound of Marc-Andre Bergeron’s shot.

Arbour retired after the Islanders were swept in the first round of the 1994 playoffs by the New York Rangers, but now he can leave on a winning note.

On his return he didn’t move more than a few steps away from his spot to the left of regular coach Ted Nolan, whose idea it was to have the Hall of Fame coach come back to the Islanders.

No one has coached or won more games with one team than Arbour. He left the second time when Penguins captain Sidney Crosby was less than 7 years old.

A banner commemorating his 739 previous wins was lowered after the game, replaced by one with his name and 1,500.

Arbour held a lineup card in his left hand throughout and raised both arms in jubilation when Satan erased the remnants of a two-goal deficit 5:30 into the third period. Nolan did a spin and leap of his own.

That was nothing compared to how the whole bench jumped when Satan put the Islanders in front.

Trent Hunter got New York within 2-1 midway through the second after Ryan Malone and rookie Tyler Kennedy built the advantage for the Penguins, 1-2 on a four-game road trip.

Crosby assisted on Malone’s goal to stretch his point streak to a career-best 12 games and then drew the ire of the sold-out Nassau Coliseum crowd when he struck Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro in the mask with his stick in the second period.

Crosby was going to be called for goalie interference but instead got four minutes for high-sticking. DiPietro, who had already left for the dressing room, was called back down the tunnel to show the referee he had been cut near the eye before retreating again.

Wade Dubieliewicz was perfect in relief of DiPietro.