The New York Islanders stayed true to their early season script and made the most out of being outplayed. They were able to score six goals on only 25 shots. Matt Murray was pulled with a .556 save percentage. That isn’t going to cut it. It wasn’t a total reflection of Murray’s play, but it did sum up the kind of chances that the Penguins gave up despite controlling most of the play.
Jordan Eberle scored twice to lead the Islanders who even got goals from Tom Kuhnhackl and Matt Martin. So not a great night for Pittsburgh.
I’m not stranger to being critical of the Penguins. Last night was just one of those games. There’s no reason to overreact to it. That same game goes to the Penguins way more often than not. Pittsburgh will have a chance to prove that in their next game which is also against the Islanders.
Sidney Crosby kept his goal scoring ways going on a beautiful wrist shot from the left wing. The placement combined with Crosby’s release make it one of the more difficult saves to make as a goalie. Firing a rising puck near the tricep and shoulder region puts a goalie in an awkward spot where they initially want to use their glove while making a chicken wing motion is the more successful way of making the save. The release and placement make it impossible for the goalie if they are caught for a split second trying to make a choice on what to do.
Despite being a game-time decision Kris Letang did not return to the lineup. I was surprised that he was not in. His absence will always hurt the team based on how it is currently constructed. I do not however think that his absence was the difference last night. Again, the team overall played fine. Variance exists and you move on to the next game.
Thanks for reading!