It’s stars vs. system when Pens face Isles
The Pittsburgh Penguins have the big-name players. The Islanders rely on their system for success.
Perennial All-Stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin lead the highscoring Penguins against Anders Lee, Mathew Barzal and the defensiveminded Islanders in the first round of the playoffs in the teams' first postseason meeting since 2013.
“They've had great pedigree in the past, they have it now,” Islanders coach Barry Trotz said. “It's going to be exciting to go against the top players. They're a good hockey team, they're deep and they've won.”
Pittsburgh won backto-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and17`, before Trotz led Washington past the Penguins en route to the franchise's first championship last year. He then left the Capitals and joined the Islanders, leading the Isles back to the playoffs after a two-year absence and following the departure of former captain John Tavares in free agency last summer.
Under Trotz, the Islanders went from giving up the most goals in the league a year ago to allowing the fewest this season.
“They do it by committee,” Crosby said. “There isn't a shut-down line necessarily. It's all those guys playing together and defending as a unit. So you've got to be prepared to fight through things, get to the net and create chances.”
Picked by many experts to miss the playoffs again, the Islanders thrived under their Stanley Cup-winning coach. They led the Metropolitan Division for a large stretch of the season, before holding off the Penguins for second place and home-ice advantage in this series.
Lee was the Islanders top scorer 28 goals, and Brock Nelson had 25. Barzal (18 goals, 44 assists) led the way in points for the second straight year. Josh Bailey (16 goals, 40 assists), Nelson (28 assists) and Lee (23 assists) also had 50-point seasons.
The Penguins overcame a rough start that saw them tied for last in the Eastern Conference in November to return to the playoffs for a 13th straight season, the longest active streak in the NHL. They did it while enduring injuries to several players, including Malkin, defensemen Kris Letang and goalie Matt Murray.
Led by Jake Guentzel (40 goals, 36 assists) and Crosby (35 goals, 65 assists), the Penguins were sixth in the league in scoring. Crosby had his first 100-point season in five years, and Phil Kessel (27 goals, 55 assists), Malkin (21 goals, 51 assists) and Letang (16 goals, 40 assists) also topped 50 points.
“They've had a ton of success with this lineup,” Lee said. “They're a threat any night they lace up their skates. We got a big challenge ahead of us.”