Crosby ties it in the third, then wins the game in overtime to lead Penguins to 3-2 OT win over Isles

— Sidney Crosby scored a highlight reel goal at 3:44 of overtime, stealing the puck from Thomas Vanek in the neutral zone then splitting the “D” and jamming the puck past Anders Nilsson to give the Penguins a 3-2 win over the New York Islanders in OT. Crosby collected goals 14 and 15 of the season in the win, scoring the overtime winner and tying the game at two all in the third period when he beat Nilsson with a one-timer from the right circle on the power play, at 8:00 of the period.

— The Penguins got off to a poor start, falling behind 2-0 in the first period. The Islanders appeared set to head to the locker room after forty minutes with a two goal lead but John Tavares took a bad penalty in front of the Penguins net, leading to a James Neal (9) power play marker with 16 seconds left in the second period.

— What the Islanders did is pretty much what the Leafs did vs the Penguins last Wednesday night, took bad penalties to let the Penguins back in the game. It’s a recipe for disaster against this Penguins team. Leading 2-1 in the third, Aaron Ness took a high sticking penalty in front of the Islanders goal and the Penguins made them pay as Crosby tied the game at 2-2 on the power play.

— Evgeni Malkin picked up two assists in the win, extending his points streak to nine games. Malkin has 19 points (4G-15A).

— James Neal had a goal and a team-high 8 shots on goal. Since returning to the lineup on November 9th, Neal has 9 goals and 17 points in 13 games and has fired 54 shots on goal. Evgeni Malkin has 23 points since Neal returned to the lineup 13 games ago.

— Marc Andre Fleury gave up one of those soft goals that have derailed the Penguins in playoff games over the last couple seasons and it looked like it was going to be a long night for Fleury. The Penguins, netminder, though, responded well and made two huge breakaway saves on Frans Nielsen in the third periond, one being a penalty shot. Fleury made 21 saves for his 15th win of the season. In 16 of 23 starts this season, the Penguins have allowed 25 shots or less when Fleury starts.

— The Penguins 19-9-1, 39 pts) have moved 17 points ahead of the Islanders (8-15-5, 21 pts) in the Metropolitan Division.