Keep On Streakin On. Pens WIN

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The Pens rolled into the dump on Long Island with a 10 game winning streak.  They fell behind twice but fought back and once again found a way to win.  The Pens have now won 11 straight tying "The Franchise That Saved Hockey" The Chicago Blackhawks for the longest winning streak in the league this season.  Tomas Vokoun was in a zone again.  After a few rough games it look like he's settling in to a nice groove.

1st Period

The Pens first period can be summed up in 1 simple gif:

The Islanders were on the second game of a back to back but the Pens looked like mud.  They didn't get a shot on goal until well after the 10 minute mark of the 1st period.  The Islanders were everywhere.  They cashed in on some faceoff to make it 1-0.  Steigy tried explaining why the faceoff that led to the goal was illegal.  Something about the players moving after they were set or something.  Whatever.  Pens finally found their legs near the end of the period and got a power play.

2nd Period

The Pens power play couldn't do anything.  The Pens dictated play for a while ad it paid off.  Simon Despres found Joe Vitale.  Vitale went in 2 on 1 and sniped one upstairs on Nabokov to tie the game.  But the Pens would fall behind again.  The Isles had a couple big time shifts in a row.  The Pens couldn't clear the zone.  Best In The World had a chance to but he made one of the worst plays of his career.  The Isles cashed in like 30 seconds later.  2-1.  You knew Best In The World wasn't gonna let that mistake go and he got his redemption with under a minute left in the period.  He found Kunitz in the slot and Kunitz beat Nabokov to tie the game at 2.  Is there a player in the league as good on their backhand as Best In The World?  Doubt it.

3rd Period

The Islanders blew their load in the 1st and the 2nd.  They didn't have much left in the 3rd.  The Pens gave them a chokeslam early in the period.  Matt Cooke and Brandon Sutter went in on a 2 on 1.  Cooke waited, and waited, and waited, and waited some more, then finally dished it to Suttertron who got it by Nabokov to make it 3-2 Pens.  The game was pretty much meh from there on out.  The Pens had to kill of 2 huge penalties in the 3rd.  One to Pascal Dupuis which was killed effortlessly, the other to Brooks Orpik late.  The Orpik penalty was one of those really smart penalties you don't mind seeing.  Orpik got beat and some Islander was gonna take the puck in 2 on 1.  Instead Orpik hooked him and made the Islanders try to ear in on the power play.  Smart play by Orpik.  The Pens PK was in the Islanders mouth.  The Pens held off the Islanders last little rush and Pascal Dupuis would get an empty net goal with 0.1 second left to give the Pens a 4-2 win.

3 STARS

1. Chris Kunitz

2. Brandon Sutter

3. Josh Bailey

No Vokoun?  LOL K.

Stuff:

• Redemtion Tour.  Maaan.  25:40 of icetime.  Plus 2.  He also was a monster on the final penalty kill.  
• Simon Despres should never be a healthy scratch ever again.  He was a plus 1.  Played 16:49.  And should have been credited with an assist on Joe Vitale's goal.  He might have played his best all around hockey lately.
• Brandon Sutter has 4 game winning goals this season.  Who did we trade to get him again?
• Good to see the 4th line chipping in lately.  Joe Vitale with goals in the Boston game and last night. 
• Tomas Vokoun was solid again.
• 2 point night for Best In The World.  He now has 52 points.  The closest person to him is his line mate Chris Kunitz with 41.

The 14th place Flyers come to town Sunday at 7:30

Go Pens