Anthony Angello and Jared McCann scored Monday as the Pittsburgh Penguins swept a two-game set against the visiting New York Islanders with a 2-1 win.
Pittsburgh, which won its fourth game in a row and fifth in its past six contests, pulled even with the Islanders for second place in the East Division.
It was the final regular-season game between the teams, with Pittsburgh winning the season series 6-2-0.
John Marino and Mike Matheson each had two assists for the Penguins, who took a 2-0 lead in the first period and held on.
Pittsburgh goaltender Tristan Jarry stopped all five shots he faced in the first period before, in a surprise, he was replaced by backup Casey DeSmith for the start of the second. The Penguins did not provide an update on Jarry's status during the game. DeSmith made 19 saves.
Emil Larmi dressed as DeSmith's backup, although he could not sit on the Penguins bench because he was technically still on the taxi squad.
Matt Martin scored for New York, which before dropping the two-game set had won three straight. Semyon Varlamov made 20 saves.
The Islanders were credited with 52 hits to just 23 for the Penguins.
Angello gave Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal at 4:24 of the first. Marino carried the puck down the right side of the New York zone before passing the puck off the side of the net to Angello, who put it off Varlamov's stick and inside the far post.
During four-on-four play, McCann upped the Penguins' lead to 2-0 at 18:28 of the first. He drove down the slot and chipped Marino's pass from the right-wing boards between Varlamov's blocker and his body.
McCann has six points (three goals, three assists) in the past four games.
DeSmith stopped the first nine shots he faced before Martin cut the Islanders' deficit in half with a power-play goal at 9:22 of the second. Mathew Barzal pulled a spin move with the puck at the right point, moved down that side and took a sharp-angle shot that Martin tipped past DeSmith to the far side.
The game opened up in the third, but the score remained unchanged.
--Field Level Media
NY Islanders | Pittsburgh | |
Matt Martin 1 | Points | John Marino 2 |
Matt Martin 1 | Goals | Anthony Angello 1 |
Mathew Barzal 1 | Assists | John Marino 2 |
Matt Martin 1 | Power Play Goals | Anthony Angello 1 |
N/A | Short Handed Goals | N/A |
Semyon Varlamov .909 | Save Percentage | Tristan Jarry 1.000 |
Semyon Varlamov 20 | Saves | Casey DeSmith 19 |
Team | Shots | Goals | Power Play | Penalty Kill | Penalty Mins | Face Offs Won |
NY Islanders | 25 | 1 | 1-4 | 2-3 | 6 | 27 |
Pittsburgh | 22 | 2 | 1-3 | 3-4 | 8 | 35 |