hockey: Penguins hang on to beat the Islanders

Phew. That was a close one. For five minutes there, I though the Penguins decided that they didn't want to win that game.

On a five-minute power play with a one-goal lead and 5:54 left in the game, you would have that that the Pittsburgh Penguins would have no problem putting away the New York Islanders. Instead, they tried their best to let the home team tie it up. I guess maybe they wanted to give Kris Letang a chance at another shootout goal.

But they did hold on to win, 3-2, and the Penguins' Tyler Kennedy was the story of the night, scoring the game-winning goal and two assists. Letang, showing off his defensive strength with a couple of great hits, impressed me as well.

Officials ejected the Islanders Chris Simon from the game after he intentionally stomped on Jarkko Ruutu's foot while Ruutu was down on the ice near the benches. That led to the five-minute power play disaster, which according to the Post-Gazette, led the Penguins to hold a players-only meeting after the game.

Next up for the Penguins, another division game against the New York Rangers in Madison Square Garden. Division wins are important for the Penguins right now, as they try to climb in both the division and conference standings.

Box score