Letang’s goal in overtime lifts Penguins over Islanders

Associated Press

NEW YORK

Sidney Crosby created time and space in overtime, and that was all the defending Stanley Cup champions needed to cap a bounce-back victory.

Crosby faked a slap shot and deked around a defender to set up Kris Letang’s goal 1:24 into OT, helping the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the New York Islanders 3-2 to rebound from a blowout loss.

Crosby sidestepped Brock Nelson at the right point and inched closer to the net before dishing to Letang, who swooped around the cage and one-timed it from the left side.

“It’s an elite play by an elite player,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said.

Pittsburgh lost 7-1 to the Washington Capitals on Wednesday night, its biggest defeat during Sullivan’s nearly yearlong tenure.

“I think all of us want to have a response after we’re all disappointed in one another,” Sullivan said. “So, we knew that’s not our identity and that’s not this team.”

Matt Murray had 20 saves for the Penguins, who have won eight of 11 and can tie the New York Rangers atop the Metropolitan Division by beating Buffalo on Saturday night.

The last-place Islanders dropped their fourth straight and are mired in a 1-3-4 stretch. Jaroslav Halak withstood a barrage of chances in the third period and stopped 32 shots while making his seventh straight start.

“We took a good team to overtime,” New York coach Jack Capuano said. “Unfortunately for our guys, it’s just one of those things — 3 on 3.

“There’s no moral victories in this game,” he added. “We played a tough opponent and they played well.”

Capuano shuffled his lines to get Ryan Strome with first-unit center John Tavares, but the offense came from elsewhere. Nelson scored on a power play early in the second period, and rookie Anthony Beauvillier got his second goal 42 seconds later.

The Penguins had lost two of three and hobbled into New York with health concerns. Patric Hornqvist has a concussion and did not play, Chris Kunitz was a game-time decision with a lower-body injury and Murray left the loss to the Capitals after being hit in the head in the first period.

Kunitz played and assumed Hornqvist’s role as net-front pest on the Penguins’ power play, helping Pittsburgh score first during a dominant opening period. With Nelson in the box for charging, Kunitz fed the puck to Letang, then skated toward the slot while Letang shot from the right point. The rebound skipped to Crosby alone below the right faceoff dot, and with Halak still searching for the puck, Crosby one-timed it in from an odd angle.

Pittsburgh outshot New York 16-5 in the first period, but then the defending Stanley Cup champs got sloppy.

Evgeni Malkin was called for roughing after the end of the first period, and New York scored on the power play early in the second. Nelson controlled a nice pass from Strome before firing from atop the faceoff circles, beating Murray for his fifth goal 1:51 in.