• Recap
• Bleachers

Crosby, Christensen score twice as Penguins down Islanders

Jan 17, 2007 - 4:31 AM PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- Sidney Crosby was again an offensive force, but the Pittsburgh Penguins also got a contribution from an unreliable source.

Crosby and Erik Christensen each scored twice to help lift the Penguins to a 5-2 victory over the New York Islanders.

Crosby, who now has 23 goals, scored both goals in the third period as the Penguins pulled away from the Islanders with three unanswered tallies.

"It's nice we were able to rebound, and you can look at that as a positive, but we also know we're not going to be able to turn it on and off like that," Crosby said. "Fortunately, we were able to tonight, but we have to make sure we don't put ourselves in those situations."

"I can't tell you how many times we've had good third-period efforts, coming from behind to get a point or two," Christensen said. "We have a lot of character, and it comes out when we're down and playing desperately. We were lucky to be at 2-2 after the second, so we said, 'This isn't good enough. We have to play better.'"

The center's first goal turned out to be the game-winner, as he beat goaltender Mike Dunham from close range at 3:28 on the power play to give Pittsburgh a 3-2 lead. Crosby notched his second tally at 13:45 of the third period when he tapped in a rebound past Dunham for a 5-2 lead.

Christensen's tallies snapped a six-game point drought. His first goal gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead at 2:32 of the first period when he beat Dunham with a one-handed backhand.

He later gave Pittsburgh a 4-2 advantage at 8:45 of the third period when he beat Dunham with a snap shot from the slot.

"I was thinking, 'Let it go,'" Christensen said. "I know there were two guys in front of me. I shot it in between them. Good things happen when you shoot the puck. I just let it rip."

Dunham, playing in his first game since January 2, looked a little rusty in allowing the five goals on 22 shots.

"That's my job, to step in there when Ricky (DiPietro) needs a break and try to give the team a chance," Dunham said. "Tonight was just one of those nights. Pittsburgh really wasn't shooting the puck at all on the outside, they were waiting for their chances in front, and they got them and they capitalized on them."

Michel Ouellet scored the other Pittsburgh goal.

"For us to have success, you've got to see other guys score, guys on the second and third line," Pittsburgh defenseman Ray Whitney said. "We got three goals from those guys. It was good to see (Ouellet) get off his slump, good to get him going."

Richard Park and Aaron Asham scored for the Islanders, who have lost three straight and seven of their last nine.

"After two periods, they had 10 shots on net," Islanders coach Ted Nolan said. "Holding a team like that to 10 shots and it's 2-2, I don't know what else we could do. We outhit them, we outchanched them, we outshot them, it was just one of those things. At the end their big guy (Crosby) gets himself in position to get a couple of goals."

The Penguins went 2-for-8 on the power while Islanders were blanked in their eight opportunities with the extra skater.