Islanders 4*, Penguins 3 (*SO): Holmstrom, Pageau erase third-period deficit, Sorokin seals win

Also: 20-year-old Isaiah George gets the call, logging 15 minutes in a surprise NHL debut.

The Islanders erased the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 3-1 third-period lead, and both teams had power play opportunities in overtime, but they needed a shootout to declare the Isles the winner in a battle of Metro Division cellar dwellers.

Ilya Sorokin stopped all three shots in the shootout, while Bo Horvat had the only unofficial goal that nonetheless counts for a whole bonus point in the standings.

The Isles trailed by two goals with 11 minutes to go in regulation, but they tied the game quickly with goals from unlikely sources. It’s a big result for a team battling key injuries — 20-year-old Isaiah George was the latest callup, doing well in his NHL debut — as they try to collect points before the Western road trip that looms next week.

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First Period

It was a pretty solid, good-approach first period for the Isles, who earned (but of course did not cash in on) an early power play after some good work from a new-look fourth line. They convincingly killed a Penguins power play midway through the period after Noah Dobson’s puck-over-the-glass penalty. For a team carrying miserable special teams, they at least didn’t shoot themselves in the foot.

Max Tsyplakov had a breakaway in the dying seconds of the period but lost the handle on his forehand move. Still, it looked like Alex Nedeljkovic’s pad was there even if Tsyplakov had managed to get a shot on, unless he lifted the puck more than appeared likely.

Second Period

The Penguins got on the board about five minutes into the period on a goal that controversially survived a coach’s challenge for offside. An elevated Erik Karlsson pass from the Penguins blueline was deflected into the corner to prevent icing. Under light pressure, Scott Mayfield went coughed it up behind the net, and Sidney Crosby put an easy quick background up high past Ilya Sorokin.

However, a slow change by Noel Acciari provided Patrick Roy a reason to issue his first coach’s challenge of the season, for offside. Acciari was inside the zone and exiting the ice through the gate, when the puck entered the zone. He was still on the ice; he had entered the zone before the puck, which followed him in; he was a potential factor in the play. But after a lengthy review, the officials said the call on the ice stands.

The situation room’s bizarre rationale is that Acciari’s skates were off the ice when the puck entered the zone…except they weren’t. One skate was in the air, the other was clearly on the ice. Bad call and even worse explanation.

The Islanders tied it seven minutes later after some good work from Tsyplakov and Kyle Palmieri. Tsyplakov distributed the puck from behind the net and then created screen havoc in front while battling Marcus Pettersson. A Noah Dobson shot into traffic bounced up in the air, and Palmieri outmuscled Kris Letang to swat the bouncing puck past an oblivious Nedeljkovic.

Mike Sullivan was upset at the refs, possibly about Tsyplakov playing the puck immediately during the change, but sometimes the hockey gods make amends for recent injustice.

Sometimes. Still on that shift, Tsyplakov took his sixth minor in 13 games, for tripping, and the Penguins converted on the ensuing power play. It was an Evgeni Malkin one-timer from distance which Sorokin probably should have stopped.

With the minutes winding down, Simon Holmstrom had a solo opportunity reminiscent of Tsyplakov’s to end the first: Good forehand move, but he lost the puck before the final finish. This time, Nedeljkovic looked out enough that Holmstrom would’ve beaten him even if his shot had stayed along the ice. If only there were a shot.

Third Period

Just shy of eight minutes into the third, the Pierre Engvall was stopped on a partial breakaway and then soon afterward the Pens scored an insurance goal that felt like it would be a backbreaker. On a quick transition up ice, Jesse Puljujarvi worked his way around Grant Hutton on the right wing boards, and Michael Bunting beat Dennis Cholowski to the open ice, accepting Puljujarvi’s pass in the slot and beating Sorokin off the post.

A couple minutes later, Drew O’Connor used that insurance to take a foolish penalty behind the Isles net against Noah Dobson, with whom he’d been battling much of the night. O’Connor went off for kneeing and the injury-stunted power play went to work…and actually finished! It was a beautiful play by Simon Holmstrom, screening, then fishing out the rebound in tight and making that extra, patient effort to lift a backhand upstairs to close the gap to 3-2.

And just three minutes later, their backs had not broken after all; the game was tied. Anders Lee missed a golden rebound after some hard work in front of the net, but Bo Horvat and JG Pageau kept it alive, and Pageau pounced on a puck in the low slot to chip the puck over Nedeljkovic’s shoulder to make it 3-3 at 12:48.

With six minutes remaining in regulation, Bunting joined O’Connor in the bad offensive zone penalty club with a careless sweeping high stick to Mayfield’s face. But two consecutive power play goals from this crew is too much to ask. Lots of back-and-forth between Dobson and Brock Nelson but no dangerous chances. With two minutes left, it was 3-3 just-get-a-damn-point time.

Overtime

The OT period started with that scariest of threats, a 4-on-3 power play after Palmieri was whistled for handling Karlsson as he drove to the net 30 seconds in. But Sorokin was very strong on the penalty kill and the Isles trio was positionally disciplined.

After the kill, Nelson had a break down the slot after a shot block and fired a rolling puck off the far post. As the Isles kept pressure on following that sequence, Bo Horvat drew a tripping penalty to give the Isles 96 seconds of 4-on-3. The Isles created some looks off rushes but never really got set up, other than a Nelson one-timer off the side of the net.

Shootout

Maybe in a bid to build confidence, Roy sent Oliver Wahlstrom as the opening shooter. His low shot was stopped by the leg pad. Bo Horvat did a little Peter Forsberg-ish move that appeared to be petering out, but his one-handed shovel slipped just under a disbelieving Nedeljkovic’s leg pad.

Given a chance to finish a game where he already had a goal and assist, Palmieri was stopped on the forehand.

But Sorokin finished the deal, stopping Letang’s backhand move and blanking the Penguins on three tries.

This and That

Did Patrick Roy solve multiple enigma problems in one swoop? The combo of Casey Cizikas, Simon Holmstrom and Pierre Engvall started off effectively — though Brendan Burke had fun calling them “All Swedish, no finish” until Holmstrom converted. Perhaps returning Cizikas to his most comfortable role and putting a motor between the two mellow Swedes is the way to to.

Isaiah George: A surprise NHL debut for a youngster who leaps Samuel Bolduc on the depth chart and impressed early on with his smooth stride and quick puck advances. Just 2:16 in the opening period for him — and 1:37 for Dennis Cholowski — as Patrick Roy relies heavily on the veterans during this blueline injury crisis. He got more ice time in the second and third periods — eight shifts in the second, nine in the third, even one in overtime and over 15 minutes overall, including a shift in the final couple minutes of regulation with the game tied.

Up Next

The Isles head to Ottawa Thursday before coming back home Saturday to face the Devils, then the Western march begins.