Islanders 5, Penguins 4 (SO)
Kyle Okposo scored the shootout winner in the third round to lift visiting New York over Pittsburgh to open a home-and-home series.
Okposo fooled Marc-Andre Fleury with a forehand deke after captain Sidney Crosby and Frans Nielsen traded backhand goals in the bonus format. Ryan Strome had a goal and two assists in regulation while Matt Martin, defenseman Nick Leddy and Nikolay Kulemin also scored for the Islanders, who can tie the Penguins for first place in the Metropolitan Division with a regulation win at home Saturday.
Patric Hornqvist had a goal and an assist and Fleury stopped 31 shots for Pittsburgh. Nick Spaling, Brandon Sutter and Blake Comeau also scored on New York netminder Chad Johnson, who finished with 26 saves in his third November appearance.
Sutter knocked in a point shot by defenseman Paul Martin 73 seconds into the contest, but the Islanders responded with three goals in a 95-second span. Martin beat Fleury on the short side with a wrist shot at 8:18, Kulemin stole the puck from blue-liner Rob Scuderi before cutting into the slot and snapping home a shot 29 seconds later and Strome redirected defenseman Thomas Hickey’s bid around Fleury.
Comeau’s centering attempt from behind the net caromed off an Islanders defenseman and in to pull Pittsburgh within a goal at the end of the first period. Leddy and Spaling traded goals in the second before Hornqvist tied the contest with seven minutes remaining in regulation on a nice feed from Evgeni Malkin.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Islanders D Calvin de Haan left the game late in the third period after crashing awkwardly into the end boards behind New York’s net. … Malkin finished with two assists. … Fleury fell to 43-9-4 at home in his last 56 regular-season appearances.