The New York Islanders copped a season-high of eight goals last night, going down 8-3 to the Pittsburgh Penguins at UBS Arena. Anders Lee (PPG), Mathew Barzal (1G, 1A) and Brayden Schenn initially had the Islanders ahead 3-1 in the second period, but the Penguins came back with seven goals in a row, putting five away in the second period. Anthony Mantha (2G, 1A), Rickard Rakell (2G), Elmer Soderblom, Ryan Shea, Avery Hayes, and Bryan Rust found the back of the net for the Penguins, with Justin Brazeau providing three assists.
Even though this was the first time they allowed eight goals in a game since conceding nine to the New York Rangers on April 10, 2025, it was the third time this season that the Islanders had let in seven goals in a game. Ilya Sorokin experienced allowing seven goals in a game for the first time in his career, saving 21 out of 28 shots before being replaced in the third period. David Rittich stopped two out of three shots in relief, while Arturs Silovs blocked 20 out of 23 in the victory.
“A loss is a loss,” acknowledged Lee. “Obviously, it’s not fair to our goaltenders that they had as many chances against as they did tonight, but we lost a big game tonight.” The Islanders (89 points) slid down to third place in the Metropolitan Division, with the Penguins (90 points) moving up to second place. The Penguins hold a game in hand over the Islanders, as do the Columbus Blue Jackets, sitting just one point behind (88 points) in the second Wild Card spot.
