The first game under new Penguins general manager Ron Hextall and president of hockey operations Brian Burke looked a lot like the 11 that came before it.
The Penguins buried themselves in a hole early and chased the game most of the night. They needed one more save and couldn’t get the power-play goal they needed.
They were on track to lose for the fifth time in six games when Evgeni Malkin scored with 18.0 seconds left in regulation and an extra attacker out on the ice.
Sidney Crosby completed the comeback by scoring the lone goal in the shootout, giving them a 4-3 win over the New York Islanders at Nassau Coliseum. He froze Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov before backhanding home the winner.
Stop us if you’ve heard this before, but the Penguins fell behind pretty quickly.
Just five and a half minutes in, a spinning John Marino lost the puck in front of his net. Casey Cizikas made a ridiculous play to make him pay, corralling the puck with one hand then tucking it past Casey DeSmith as Marino pulled him down.
The Penguins responded six minutes later with a beautiful goal of their own. Jake Guentzel set up Bryan Rust to finish off a tic-tac-toe sequence during which four skaters touched the puck in the offensive zone in a four-second span.
Zach Aston-Reese had a chance to put the Penguins on top while on the penalty kill. But Varlamov zipped across the crease to shut down a 2-0 rush. Moments later, Jean-Gabriel Pageau tipped a shot past a helpless DeSmith to make it 2-1.
The Penguins have now surrendered a power-play goal in six straight games.
They trailed after the first period for the eighth time in 12 games. But Aston-Reese redeemed himself in the second with an impressive individual effort.
Aston-Reese chased after a dump-in behind the Islanders net. He lifted the stick of Noah Dobson then bumped him off the puck. His wraparound attempt was stopped when he stepped in front. But he knocked the rebound past Varlamov.
Aston-Reese on Thursday made his return to the lineup after offseason shoulder surgery. A few days ago, coach Mike Sullivan said the winger “has the ability to play a heavy game when he’s engaged and he has the right mindset.” So, clearly, the Penguins want to see the 26-year-old bring that grit every single shift.
Moments later, the Penguins, who have now gone seven straight games without a power-play goal, nearly gave the lead right back to the short-handed Islanders. Kris Letang had another bad giveaway and a tentative Guentzel got caught in no-man’s land. DeSmith bailed them out by stuffing Pageau on a breakaway.
With the Islanders winning the special-teams battle Thursday, the Penguins have scored more power-play goals than their opponents only once this season.
The Penguins, particularly Crosby’s line, had opportunities throughout the third period but Varlamov would not let them take the lead. Mathew Barzal, the All-Star center, put the Islanders up, 3-2, with 6:25 remaining in regulation.
Barzal, one of the NHL’s fastest players, burst down the left wing 1-on-1 against rookie blue-liner Pierre-Olivier Joseph, whose career to that point was off to a splendid start. Barzal welcomed him to the league with a nasty move, pulling the puck through Joseph before snapping it over DeSmith’s outstretched glove.
DeSmith was given the start in goal over Tristan Jarry, whose early-season struggles continued Saturday when he allowed four goals in a 4-3 loss to these Islanders. It spoke to the importance of every game during a 56-game regular season, especially with COVID-19 concerns threatening to lop more games off the schedule.
Despite his .882 save percentage entering the game, DeSmith had at least found ways to win. He was victorious in three of his previous four starts. He took the loss in his last start, giving up two goals in a Feb. 1 loss to the New York Rangers.
Malkin ripped a one-timer through a crowd to force OT. DeSmith stopped all five shots he faced in overtime and three more in the shootout to earn another win.
The Penguins are scheduled to next play on Sunday, when they play host to the Washington Capitals. It is their first game at PPG Paints Arena since Jan. 24.
