PITTSBURGH – There’s no sugarcoating how injury-depleted the Islanders are as they played the first of what will be many games without top-line playmaker Mathew Barzal.
But in a huge game against a direct rival for a playoff spot, the undermanned Islanders found a way to win.
Bo Horvat and Anders Lee scored the equalizer and the go-ahead goal within one minute, 41 seconds in the third period and the Islanders held on for a 4-2 victory on Monday night at PPG Paints Arena in a feisty, playoff-like atmosphere. The teams combined for 62 penalty minutes after an intense dust-up at the end of the second period.