Kessel scores twice as Penguins beat Islanders

Kris Letang and Phil Kessel each scored twice, and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the New York Islanders 6-2 on Thursday night in Pittsburgh.

Kessel also had two assists, Sidney Crosby scored his 15th goal and had two assists, and Riley Sheahan scored his fourth goal. The Penguins have won two straight and five of eight following a slump in which they won once in 10 games.

Jake Guentzel had three assists and established a careerbest six-game point streak for Pittsburgh.

Casey DeSmith made 19 saves to win for the fifth time in six starts.

New York’s Anders Lee scored for the fourth straight game, his 11th of the season. Brock Nelson’s 10th was a short-handed goal for the Islanders, who have one win in their last five games.

Thomas Greiss stopped 16 shots through two periods before he was replaced by Christopher Gibson, who made six saves. Pittsburgh’s Phil Kessel scores during Thursday’s game against the New York Islanders.

After Letang scored on a give-and-go with Derick Brassard, Nelson tied it late in the first period. It was the fourth shorthanded goal allowed by Pittsburgh in five games and its leagueworst eighth this season.

RED WINGS 5, MAPLE LEAFS 4, OT: Dylan Larkin scored on a breakaway at 2:48 of overtime and Detroit beat Toronto after blowing a threegoal lead in the third period. Larkin beat Garret Sparks between the pads to snap Toronto’s five-game winning streak. Gustav Nyquist set up the winner, and finished a goal and two assists. AVALANCHE 5, PANTHERS 2: Carl Soderberg scored twice, J.T. Compher broke a third-period tie and Colorado beat Florida. Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog also scored for the Avalanche. Philipp Grubauer stopped 33 shots. LIGHTNING 3, BRUINS 2: Mathieu Joseph and Anthony Cirelli scored early in the third period and Tampa Bay beat Boston for its fifth consecutive victory. After Joseph scored at 2:40, Cirelli put home a shorthanded backhand 1:23 later to make it 3-1. CANADIENS 5, SENATORS 2: Paul Byron scored twice and Montreal beat Ottawa to sweep the home-and home series.