Islanders keep Sidney Crosby in check in series opener vs. Penguins

UNIONDALE, N.Y. – For large chunks of this season, Sidney Crosby’s line did the heavy lifting for the Pittsburgh Penguins while Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel were mired in long slumps.

In the playoff opener Wednesday night on Long Island, the opposite was true.

Malkin and Kessel scored goals and their lines drove play at even strength. Crosby and linemates Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust combined for three shots on goal and spent way more time in the defensive zone than they’re accustomed to.

In the end, the New York Islanders came away with a 4-3 overtime victory.

“You gotta learn from it,” Crosby said. “Regardless of the outcome, you’ve got to learn every game and get better with every game. We’ll learn from this one and make sure that we’re better in Game 2.”

Islanders coach Barry Trotz tasked the defense pair of Ryan Pulock and Adam Pelech with handling the Crosby line on most shifts. He also used the hard-hitting fourth line of Cal Clutterbuck, Matt Martin and Casey Cizikas against the Penguins’ top trio.

When Crosby was on the ice at even strength, the Islanders had an edge in shot attempts (21-15), shots (9-7) and goals (2-0).

“I think we’ve just got to get out of our end,” Crosby said. “You can’t score from 200 feet away. We’ve got to do a better job of getting out of our own end and spending our energy in the offensive zone.”

Malkin and Kessel, meanwhile, had large advantages in shot attempts and shots on goal.

Coach Mike Sullivan’s decision to split the pair up, playing Malkin with Jared McCann and Patric Hornqvist and Kessel with Dominik Simon and Nick Bjugstad, paid dividends for one night.

“I thought both lines were good,” Sullivan said. “It gives us more balance both offensively and defensively. We can’t control the matchups as much on the road as we can when we’re at home, and I thought both lines played really well.”

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