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"We are going to win both games". Those were the words Cal Clutterbuck uttered out of his worthless mouth before this weekends Pens/Islanders home and home mini series. Friday night the Islanders took the 1st step towards making those words a reality. This wasn't the Pens best performance by far, but they still some how managed to get a point out of this game.
The Pens would get on the board first on their first shot of the game. A little over a minute into the game Paul Martin ripped a shot from the point and Brandon Sutter deflected it past Chad Johnson to make it 1-0 Pens. Elite deflection by Sutter on the goal. Then things went to hell. The Islanders would run off a string of 3 goals in a minute and 35 seconds. The Penguins had one of the worst line changes in history a left Matt Martin in all alone on Fleury. He beat Fleury short side to make it 1-1. The Paul Martin had a disastrous turnover in the neutral zone. Nikolai Kulemin would take the puck off of Martin, dance around Kris Letang and snipe one top shelf to make it 2-1 Islanders. Then Rob Sucderi looked like a lost child trying to find his mom and left a man wide open back door. A shot went that way and hit the open man (Ryan Strome) and went in. 3-1. Oyy. The Pens would get one back late in the period though. Blake Comeau circled the Islanders net and threw the puck in front. It hit an Islander and went in the net to make it 3-2.
To tell you the truth we honestly don't remember much about the 2nd period. All we can really remember is Nick Leddy launching a bomb of a one timer to make it 4-2. And Nick Spaling fighting to get to a loose puck and chipping it in the net to make it 4-3. The Pens upped their pressure in the 2nd period.
If the Penguins would have played the 1st period like they played the 2nd or 3rd the game probably would have been different. The Pens upped their pressure and when the Islanders were shutting down the Pens zone entry Mike Johnston made a bug time adjustment that countered the Islanders. The Pens started dumping the puck to the opposite corner and letting someone come in with speed and pick up the puck. Andrew pointed that out. It eventually paid off. Evgeni Malkin fed Patrick Hornqvist in the right wing faceoff circle and Hornqvist launched a one timer that beat Chad Johnson to tie the game. Then things got a bit chippy. Steve Downie went to hit Johnny Boychuk but Boychuck dodged it resulting in the 2 players knees colliding. Johnny Boychuck decided to throw a temper tantrum and took a cheap run at Malkin and tried to blow Malkin's knee out.
gif via The Penblog
A couple things about this. 1. Johnny Boychuck is a jackass. 2. The puck is no where to be found so Boychuck went out of his was to make that hit. 3. How does no one see that? 4. Hopefully Johnny Boychuck gets herpes.
The game would slip to overtime.
Overtime had an unreal pace to it. Both teams had their fair share of chances but neither could score. Pens tried to be too cute at times during overtime.
Penguins Islanders
Malkin-Miss Tavares-Miss
Crosby-Score Neilson-Score
Sutter-Miss Okposo-Score
Isles win
1) Ryan Strome
2) Kyle Okposo
3) Patric Hornqvist
Pens and Isles play again in the dump of Nassau Coliseum in like 41 seconds.
Go Pens
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