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PITTSBURGH — Jake Guentzel scored twice, Sidney Crosby additionally had a purpose and the Pittsburgh Penguins earned a playoff berth for the sixteenth straight season with a 6-3 victory over the New York Islanders on Thursday evening.
Guentzel scored his thirty sixth and thirty seventh targets and Crosby his twenty ninth because the Penguins prolonged the longest lively postseason streak amongst groups in main North American skilled sports activities.
Danton Heinen equaled a profession excessive along with his sixteenth purpose, whereas Kris Letang and Brock McGinn additionally scored for Pittsburgh, which tied Calgary for the seventh-longest playoff streak within the NHL since 1967. Tristan Jarry made 36 saves for the Penguins, who’ve gained two of three general. Pittsburgh has 11 wins and factors in 15 of its final 17 in opposition to the Islanders.
Zach Parise, Anders Lee and Zdeno Chara scored for the Islanders, who’ve misplaced three of their final 5 following a four-game successful streak. Ilya Sorokin stopped 22 pictures.
Pittsburgh scored twice within the first 9 minutes of the sport for an early lead.
Letang beat Sorokin at 4:59 with a wrist shot from the left level and Heinen scored on a breakaway at 8:52.
Heinen simply left the penalty field after a slashing name when he took a lead cross from Brian Boyle and beat Sorokin with a shot between the legs. Heinen has factors in seven of 10 profession video games in opposition to the Islanders. Boyle has factors in 9 of his final 10 dwelling video games and Teddy Blueger established a profession excessive in factors with a secondary help.
Parise reduce the deficit in half at 5:51 of the second interval. He took a cross from Mathew Barzal off the frenzy and despatched a shot behind Jarry to place the Islanders on the board.
Guentzel regained Pittsburgh’s two-goal lead at 12:10 of the second. Guentzel, on a two-on-one, took a cross from Crosby and beat Sorokin with a blocker-side wrist shot.
Crosby and Guentzel mixed for Pittsburgh’s fourth purpose at 10:44 of the third interval, following New York’s neutral-zone turnover. There was a slick passing sequence between the 2 on a two-on-none earlier than Crosby completed it off with a slap shot from in shut, cementing Pittsburgh’s return to the playoffs.
Crosby’s purpose was the winner, the 78th of his profession. That ties Evgeni Malkin and Jaromir Jagr for the franchise file.
Crosby has three targets and eight factors in his final three video games performed. It was his third straight multipoint effort and team-best twenty fifth of the season.
Crosby has a team-high 80 factors and he reached the milestone for the eleventh time in his profession, most amongst all lively gamers. He’s one purpose from 30 for the tenth time in his profession and is seeking to be part of Mario Lemieux and Jagr as the one gamers in franchise historical past with 10 or extra 30-goal seasons.
Crosby has 40 targets and 128 factors in 78 profession video games in opposition to the Islanders. Pittsburgh is 49-19-20 in these video games.
Solely Jagr (155) and Lemieux (131) have extra factors in opposition to the Islanders than Crosby. Crosby has 38 multipoint video games in opposition to the Islanders and 18 video games with none factors.
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