1 of 5 | New York Islanders right wing Josh Bailey (L) celebrates his game-winning goal with center Brock Nelson (C) in the second overtime period of Game 5 against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the opening round of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs series Monday at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. Photo by Archie Carpenter/UPI |
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May 25 (UPI) -- Right wing Josh Bailey stole the puck from the goalkeeper and scored 51 seconds into double overtime to lead the New York Islanders to a dramatic win and Stanley Cup Playoffs series lead over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Islanders trailed 2-1 midway through the third period, but Jordan Eberle scored to force overtime before Bailey added the Game 5 winner Monday at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. The 3-2 win gave the Islanders a 3-2 series lead.
"At first I just tried to settle it down and wanted to get a good shot off," Bailey told reporters.
"I ultimately ran out of time and just had to let one go."
Penguins center Evgeni Malkin was the first player to light the lamp. He gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead 8:20 into the first period. Kris Letang and Bryan Rust assisted that score.
Bailey and Nick Leddy assisted an Anthony Beauvillier goal about 11 minutes later to tie the score at 1-1 through the first period.
Penguins star center Sidney Crosby and Letang assisted a Rust goal 7:37 into the second period for another one-goal lead for Pittsburgh. Letang skated over the Islanders blue line at the start of that play. He passed to Crosby on his right, who eyed the goal before he left a pass back for Rust.
The Penguins forward fired a laser to beat Islanders keeper Ilya Sorokin on his stick side.
The Penguins stayed in control for the rest of the second period and through the third period. Eberle then found the net with 10:10 remaining in regulation.
Islanders center Jean-Gabriel Pageau passed off to right wing Leo Komarov on that play while behind the Penguins net. Komarov then slid a pass in front of the goal to find Eberle.
Eberle finished the play with a shot past Tristan Jarry as the Penguins netminder attempted a diving save.
Jarry and Sorokin stood strong through the first overtime. A Jarry mistake then led to the game-winner from Bailey.
Jarry recovered a puck deep in the Penguins' zone on that play. He then slid it forward, where it was intercepted by Bailey a few feet in front of the blue line.
Bailey skated forward and flipped a wrist shot over Jarry's left leg and into the net.
"Our first two periods were not pretty, but [Sorokin] allowed us to hang around," Islanders coach Barry Trotz told reporters. "I thought we got better. I thought in overtime we got better, and obviously we were able to get a goal."
Sorokin record 48 saves in the win. Jarry logged 25 saves for the Penguins.
"The result was not what we wanted, but we made a statement," Letang told reporters. "That's the way we need to play going into an arena. I'm pretty confident that if we play the same way, we will get the [winning] result."
The Penguins and Islanders meet for Gamer 6 at 6:30 p.m. EDT Wednesday at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y.