*Photo from the San Diego Union Tribune*
Don't try to tell the Pittsburgh Penguins that their playoff window is closing, they won't take it. Sidney Crosby scored, Jake Guentzel scored two goals, and the Penguins defeated the New York Islanders with a 6-3 win on Thursday night in Pittsburgh.
With the win, the Penguins have clinched a spot in the playoffs. They've clinched a playoff spot for 16 consecutive seasons now, which is the longest active playoff streak in the NHL. The Penguins are 2-0-1 in their last 3 games, and are 5 points back of the New York Rangers for second place in the Metropolitan Division.
Pittsburgh head coach Mike Sullivan said that "I think it's a remarkable accomplishment. It's hard to make the playoffs. Half of the League doesn't make it every year. There's a lot of good teams every season that don't make it. The fact that this organization has done it 16 consecutive years in a row, in my mind, is a remarkable achievement."
Starting the scoring for the Penguins was Kris Letang, putting the Penguins ahead 1-0 when he scored 4:59 into the game, his 8th goal of the season. Danton Heinen then doubled the lead, scoring his 16th goal of the season 8:52 into the period, making it a 2-0 Penguins lead.
In the second period, Zach Parise got the Islanders on the board, cutting the deficit to 2-1 with his 14th goal of the season, coming 5:51 into the second, assisted by Mathew Barzal. At the 12:10 mark of the second period, Guentzel scored his 36th goal of the season, putting the Penguins ahead 3-1 with an assist from Crosby.
The scoring in the 3rd didn't start until Crosby scored his 29th goal of the season 10:44 into the 3rd period, making it 4-1 Penguins. We then saw 4 goals within the last 2:37 of regulation. Anders Lee scored for the Islanders to make it 4-2, followed by an empty net goal from Brock McGinn, to make it 5-2 Penguins. Zdeno Chara then scored for the Islanders to make it a 5-3 game, but then Guentzel scored on an empty net to seal the 6-3 win.
Crosby said of making the playoffs that "Every year is a challenge. You need so many things to go right to give yourself an opportunity to play in the playoffs. It's not given to you. To see how tight the League is, it's not easy. So, you appreciate those opportunities."
It was Tristan Jarry who got the start for the Penguins, getting the playoff clinching win. Jarry turned aside 36 of the 39 Islanders shots on goal, posting a .923 save percentage in the win. Jarry's record on the season improved to a 34-18-6 mark on the season.
Across the ice from Jarry, it was Ilya Sorokin who started for the Islanders, getting tagged with the loss. Sorokin stopped 22 out of the 26 Penguins shots on goal, recording a .846 save percentage. Sorokin's record dropped to 24-15-7 on the season, totaling 46 starts.
Lee, who is the Islanders captain, said that "I think we did have a couple chances in the first that gave us enough life to keep building on. It's one of those games against one of these teams, we're in it all the way until the end. You saw that tonight. We just settled in and played our game better the rest of the last 40."
Up next, the Islanders are back in action with a Friday back to back against the Montreal Canadiens, with Semyon Varlamov getting the start in goal. The Penguins face off against the Boston Bruins on Saturday night, with Jarry likely to draw the start.
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