National Hockey League
Pittsburgh 3, NY Islanders 2
When: 7:00 PM ET, Saturday, February 20, 2021
Where: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Referees: Brian Pochmara, Furman South
Linesmen: Kyle Flemington, Travis Gawryletz
Attendance: N/A

Kris Letang scored two goals Saturday, including the game-winner in the third period as the Pittsburgh Penguins earned a 3-2 victory over the visiting New York Islanders.

Tied at 2-2, Letang took a feed from Sidney Crosby, who was near the end boards, and wristed a shot from the slot over the right shoulder of New York goaltender Semyon Varlamov at 13:34 of the final period.

Mike Matheson also scored for Pittsburgh, and Crosby had two assists while playing in his 1,000th career game. Crosby is the 25th active player to reach 1,000 games and the first in Penguins history to play that many games with the team.

Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry, making his fourth straight start, made 33 saves.

Jordan Eberle and Brock Nelson scored for the Islanders, while Varlamov stopped 15 of 18 shots.

The Penguins started slow following a 10-minute pregame ceremony for Crosby and were outshot 16-4 in the opening period, but Jarry held off New York.

At 12:23 of the second period, the Islanders' Anthony Beauvillier took a hooking penalty to give Pittsburgh the first power play for either team, and the Penguins cashed in on an effective passing sequence.

Crosby fed Malkin at the right point. Letang, off Evgeni Malkin's point-to-point pass, blasted a shot over Varlamov's blocker to make it 1-0 at 12:35 of the second. It was Letang's first goal of the year.

New York tied it at 15:28 of the second. Eberle, left uncovered, moved in from the right side. He faked a forehand shot, then pulled the puck over to his backhand and tucked it behind Jarry.

Nelson gave the Islanders a 2-1 lead 53 seconds into the third. Pittsburgh began to vacate their defensive zone when it looked like the puck would clear, but New York's Scott Mayfield was able to keep the puck in the zone. Nelson's wrist shot from the blue line got past the glove of Jarry, who was screened on the play.

At 7:35 of the third, Matheson tied it 2-2. This time, Varlamov was screened, and Matheson scored his first goal with the Penguins from the slot off a pass from Teddy Blueger at the left-wing boards.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
NY Islanders   Pittsburgh
Jordan Eberle 1 Points Kris Letang 2
Jordan Eberle 1 Goals Kris Letang 2
Anthony Beauvillier 1 Assists Sidney Crosby 2
N/A Power Play Goals Kris Letang 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Semyon Varlamov .833 Save Percentage Tristan Jarry .943
Semyon Varlamov 15 Saves Tristan Jarry 33
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
NY Islanders 35 2 0-1 0-1 2 32
Pittsburgh 18 3 1-1 1-1 2 21
Upcoming Games
  • Pittsburgh will play their next game on the road against Washington. The Penguins have a W/L % of .625 after a win and .571 after a loss.
  • NY Islanders will play their next game at home against Buffalo. The Islanders have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .375 after a loss.