New York Islanders beat Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 in shootout
New York Islanders goalkeeper Rick DiPietro pulled off 37 saves to ensure his side held on for a 2-1 shootout win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night. The result also meant that Penguins Captain Sidney Crosby’s brilliant run of finishing the
last 25 games with at least a point came to an end.
Both teams had a decent start to the game, and created a number of scoring chances. However, the defences managed to cope with the attacks and kept the scores level at nil-nil. That was when the teams shifted into a more defensive mindset, and were looking
to hit their opponents on the counter attack. Both sides still managed to put together some slick attacking moves, but chances were hard to come by. The Islanders almost took the lead in the 16th minute through Josh Bailey, but his shot went just
wide. The period ended with the scores deadlocked at 0-0. The first 20 minutes of play saw the New York Islanders making 10 goal attempts, while the Pittsburgh Penguins made 12 goal attempts.
The second period started in spectacular fashion for the home team. The very first move of the period saw the New York Islanders scoring through Josh Bailey to take the lead. The goal was the result of a brilliant flick shot which went through the legs of
the goal keeper. The hosts continued to pile on the pressure throughout the period but couldn’t score any further goals. On the other hand, the Pittsburgh Penguins knew they had to score soon if they were to get anything out of the game.
Their determination and hard work paid off in the 17th minute, when they leveled the scores with a powerful Chris Conner strike, which caught the keeper by surprise. The period saw a few more goal attempts by both teams, but the scores remained
level at 1-1. During the course of the period the New York Islanders made seven goal attempts, while the Pittsburgh Penguins came up with 12 goal attempts.
The final period was a reflection of the first period which saw the teams maintaining a very tight defence. Both teams waited for chances to come their way; which happened rarely. Though the away side made nine goal attempts, and the Islanders had eight
attempts, the period ended goalless.
The scores were level at the end of the regulation time at 1-1 and the match went into overtime. During overtime no goals were scored, so the match had to be decided in a shootout. PA Parenteau’s goal in the shootout proved to be the difference as the home
team won 2-1 at the end.
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