Penguins, Casey DeSmith stumble against Islanders

Pittsburgh Penguins backup goaltender Casey DeSmith reached a threshold of some significance Friday as his team faced the New York Islanders at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y.

He appeared in his 27th contest of the season and tied hobbled starter Tristan Jarry for most games played among the team’s goaltenders.

With Jarry sidelined for most of the 2023 calendar year with various injuries that have been heavily speculated upon as well as fiercely concealed, the Penguins have deployed DeSmith prolifically since the start of January.

“When you look at his last probably half a dozen starts or so, I think he’s really tracking the puck well,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said at the team’s facility in Cranberry on Thursday. “He’s given us a chance to win. He’s making big saves at key times in the game. That’s so important to winning in this league.”

The Penguins did not win Friday as DeSmith was perforated by a resilient Islanders squad in a crucially vital come-from-ahead 5-4 loss against a Metropolitan Division rival that has been in hot pursuit of the Penguins with regard to the standings for months.

Making his eighth consecutive start — the last Penguins goaltender to do that was Matt Murray, who strung together an octet of starts between Oct. 26 and Nov. 15 of 2019 — DeSmith stopped 23 of 28 shots and saw his record tumble to 10-12-4.

Penguins forward Sidney Crosby opened the scoring with his 25th goal of the season an even 12 minutes into regulation.

From the left half wall of the offensive zone, Penguins rookie defenseman P.O Joseph gripped and ripped a wrister at the cage that appeared to be swallowed up by goaltender Ilya Sorokin, but a rebound trickled loose under his left leg. An eagle-eyed Crosby identified the puck then darted in from the right of the crease, muscled his way past Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson and shuffled in a forehand shot. Joseph and defensive partner Chad Ruhwedel had assists.

An atrocious turnover by Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson led to a tying goal 116 seconds later.

Controlling the puck behind his own cage, Pettersson faced light pressure from Islanders forward Bo Horvat and forced an ill-conceived pass to the right circle to no one in particular. Islanders forward Mathew Barzal accepted the charity and fed a quick pass to the top of the crease for linemate Anders Lee, who re-directed the puck on net with a forehand deflection. DeSmith made the initial save and in the ensuing scramble, he laid on his back in hopes of smothering the rebound, but the puck somehow came to a complete rest on top of his pelvis. Lee was alert enough to locate the black puck on top of the black pants of a supine DeSmith and swept in a backhander for his 20th goal. The only assist went to Barzal.

Penguins forward Rickard Rakell reached the 20-goal mark 3:53 into the second period to restore a lead for the visitors.

Off a clever backhand pass in the neutral zone by Rakell, linemate Jake Guentzel gained the offensive zone on the left wing then directed a shot/pass to the crease. Driving down the slot between Islanders defensemen Scott Mayfield and Alexander Romanov, Rakell redirected the puck with his forehand over Sorokin’s blocker. Guentzel and defenseman Kris Letang claimed assists.

The Penguins went up by two goals less than two minutes later when forward Jason Zucker claimed his 14th goal at the 5:35 mark.

From the right point of the offensive zone, Ruhwedel slid a pass to the opposite point for Joseph, who launched a wrister toward the cage. Sashaying his way across the front of the blue paint to the left of the cage, Zucker got the forehand of his stick blade on the puck, tipping it past Sorokin’s blocker on the near side. Joseph and Ruhwedel registered assists once again.

Islanders forward Brock Nelson’s 23rd goal made it a 3-2 contest at 14:25 of the second frame.

Off a cross-ice stretch pass from behind the Islanders’ blue line, Nelson gained the offensive zone on the left wing and, facing little resistance, circumnavigated his way around the net and tucked a forehand shot into the crease. The shot was off the mark but with DeSmith scrambling to get into position, the puck bounced off his right leg and caromed into the cage. Mayfield and Romanov had assists.

Rakell found another goal to restore a two-goal lead, 4-2, at 18:57 of the second.

After Crosby beat Horvat on a faceoff in the Islanders’ left circle, Pettersson chopped a one-timer from the center point that was blocked by Lee. The rebound bounced to the slot where Rakell settled it and hurried a forehand shot that was partially blocked by Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech. Above the crease, Crosby furiously fended off Horvat to claim possession of the puck and slipped a deft backhand pass back to the slot for Rakell, who leaned down and snapped a forehand shot past Sorokin’s left skate. Assists were tallied by Crosby and Pettersson.

The Islanders persisted and pulled back within a single score when Lee scored again late in the second period at the 19:32 mark.

Settling a bank pass in the left corner of the Penguins’ zone, Barzal danced around a sluggish backcheck by Penguins forward Jeff Carter then an insufficient poke check attempt by Penguins forward Kasperi Kapanen. Maneuvering through the left circle to the slot, Barzal elevated a wrister on net. Positioned to the left of the blue paint, Lee deflected the puck with the shaft of his stick past DeSmith’s glove. Barzal and defenseman Sebastian Aho had assists.

A power-play goal by Nelson 5:01 into the third period tied the game again, 4-4.

Following a faceoff win by Horvat against Carter in the Penguins’ left circle, Dobson fed a pass from above the circle to the top of the opposite circle where Nelson swiped a one-timer past DeSmith’s right shoulder on the far side. Penguins forward Brock McGinn appeared to inadvertently screen DeSmith during the sequence. Dobson and Lee netted assists.

The Islanders took their first and only lead late in regulation when forward Zach Parise claimed his 15th goal at the 17:17 mark.

After Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin lost a puck battle in his own right corner to Islanders forward Kyle Palmieri, Nelson fed a pass from the right circle to the left of the crease intended for Parise. Above the crease, Letang blocked the pass partially. Penguins forward Bryan Rust, on a determined backcheck, also appeared to get a stick on the puck, but Parise ultimately steered it into the cage.

Dumoulin protested to officials that he was interfered with in some fashion but to an inhospitiable audience. Scorekeepers on site originally credited Nelson with the goal before ultimately determining it was Parise’s score.

The Penguins have little time to ruminate over this setback as they host another divisional foe, the New Jersey Devils, at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.

Notes:

• The Penguins’ scratches were forwards Danton Heinen (healthy), Ryan Poehling (undisclosed injury) and defenseman Mark Friedman (undisclosed injury).

• The last Penguins goaltender to start more than eight consecutive games was Murray. He strung together 11 consecutive starts between March 16 and April 6 of 2019.

• Zucker appeared in his 600th career game.

• No team has given up more points to Crosby than the Islanders. In 80 career games against the Islanders, Crosby has 130 points (41 goals, 89 assists).

• Parise appeared in his 1,200th career game.