The Pittsburgh Penguins found themselves playing on Halloween night and then election day which was probably for the best. Shining a light on this Penguins team isn’t going to be flattering most nights.
The Penguins built a 3-1 lead against the Islanders, a playoff team from last year, and gave it away in the span of about three minutes in the third period. This is an old habit with this group that is not dying hard, or at all. They don’t have the ability to consistently defend. They are among the worst in the league at it. The team remains winless against playoff teams from last year and that isn’t good when half the teams in the league make the playoffs.
On the plus side of things Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin both scored goals which in the good old days was a trusty recipe for victory.
Tonight is 124th time Sid and Geno have both scored in the same regular season game. 11th time vs. NYI; only team they've done it more often against is Flyers (12).
— Bob Grove (@bobgrove91) November 6, 2024
Crosby’s goal puts him two away from the 600 mark. He got there by scoring on his backhand against the Islanders, a timeless classic. This one had an interesting fact tied to it.
Sid's goal tonight was his 87th on the backhand in his regular season career.
— Bob Grove (@bobgrove91) November 6, 2024
Crosby now has five goals in his last three games after the slow start on this front. He’s up to a 35 goal pace on the season which is solid. He has 15 points in 14 games and is keeping pace with what he needs to do there.
Malkin scored his fourth goal of the year on the power play and dialed back the clock to do so. It was a one-timer on the power play.
Evgeni Malkin - Pittsburgh Penguins (4) pic.twitter.com/u22taqA7Ua
— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) November 6, 2024
It's nice to see him tee it up like that. He now has 16 points in 14 games on the season. The Penguins two superstar forwards are not the problem. Their support has once again failed them which has been the case for a lot of seasons in their careers.
Things will not get any easier for the Penguins. They will play the Carolina Hurricanes tomorrow night in Carolina and follow that game up with a visit to Washington on Friday. The Penguins are 5-7-2 heading into this stretch, good for 12th best in the Eastern Conference.
Thanks for reading!