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Quick third-quarter scores power Islanders past Penguins

Dec 22, 2007 - 5:59 AM By Chris Adamski PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- Through 50 minutes, the New York Islanders were living up to their reputation as a bad offense. Then, in less than a minute, all of that changed.

Blake Comeau and Trent Hunter scored third-period goals within 37 seconds of each other to break up a tie game and send the Islanders to 4-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Entering the game, New York's 71 goals were the fewest in the league. The Islanders also are the only team that does not have a player with at least 11 tallies.

"It's just a matter of finding people who can contribute," center Andy Hilbert said. "A lot of guys on this team can score. We know if we keep working, they will go in."

With the contest tied, 2-2, in the third period, Comeau scored his first career goal on a slap shot at 10:28 from just above the left faceoff circle that got past Penguins goaltender Dany Sabourin. The 21-year-old left wing patiently waited for an opening through traffic and fired a shot that ricocheted off the right post.

"It feels great (to get your first goal), but to be able to help the team get a win feels even better," Comeau said. "It feels better when you can celebrate it with a win."

Less than a minute later, Hunter provided an insurance goal. Ruslan Fedotenko passed to Mike Sillinger, who found Hunter in the right faceoff circle and slid a wrist shot by Sabourin for a 4-2 advantage.

"Tonight, Andy Hilbert's line maybe wasn't getting as much ice time and, all of a sudden on the first shift, he had the big one and it leads to another one," Islanders coach Ted Nolan said.

New York netminder Rick DiPietro, who was just 2-5-1 with a 2.73 goals-against average in December, halted his month-long slide as he stopped 24 shots.

Miroslav Satan scored 44 seconds into the game when he collected a pass from Josef Vasicek while in the slot and shot a wrister past Sabourin for an early 1-0 advantage.

"As a whole, I thought our team played well tonight," Hilbert said. "It was a huge win and all four lines were part of it - all the defensemen and Rick (DiPietro), too."

Pittsburgh tied the game with 1:10 remaining in the first when Eric Christensen took advantage of an out-of-position DiPietro. Gary Roberts had consecutive shots denied from the low slot but the rebound trickled over on the other side to Christensen, who threw it into a mostly open net.

The assist was the 900th point of Roberts' career.

"It's been a long time coming," the 41-year-old Roberts said. "I've gone quite a few games without getting a point and it just felt good to get it, but a win would have been nicer. We let one slip away, a game that we really needed to win."

Jordan Staal briefly gave the Penguins the lead at 4:20 into the second when he scored while on the power play.

Sidney Crosby carried the puck into the zone, splitting two New York defensemen on his way to the net. The puck squirted free to Staal, who was to the left of DiPietro, leaving him with a clear shot at the net that he put home.

That, however, was the only power-play goal of the night for Pittsburgh despite having six chances.

"It's just a matter of executing; it comes down to execution," Crosby said. "Teams aren't going to let you have free lanes (or) free shots to the net.

"I think right now mentally we want to keep it (the power play) simple."

Sabourin recorded 20 saves for the Penguins, who fell to 7-8-2 at home.