A loss to the Dallas Stars didn’t feel good but felt somewhat expected for the Pittsburgh Penguins. But in the thick of a heated playoff race, every point matters and it was two points the Penguins failed to procure.
In a critical Monday night matchup, the Penguins fell behind the New York Islanders but exploded to drop eight goals on the normally stingy Isles. These are the most important takeaways from the huge 8-3 win over the Islanders.
Welcome Back, Sid
The win is nice but the biggest story is the return of Sidney Crosby (again). Crosby went down with an injury and missed the Stars game but made it back into the lineup for Monday’s pivotal tilt with the Islanders on the road.
It goes without saying that Crosby is integral to the Penguins and their playoff push. He chipped in with a pair of assists in the offensive explosion, helping to put away the Islanders late before they could potentially make a late push.
Crosby has faced injury challenges this season, so it is nice that he only missed one game this time around before returning to the lineup. Losing him down this critical stretch could literally mean the difference between making the playoffs and winding up in the draft lottery.
The Anthony Mantha Breakout Season Continues
The difference wound up being a four-goal outburst in the second period powered by a Rickard Rakell shorthanded goal. But what put the Penguins ahead for good was a pair of goals from Anthony Mantha to close out the second period.
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Mantha continues to be an absolute revelation for the Penguins. The 31-year-old winger seemed like he may have been on the back end of his career, especially after an injury-plagued 2024-25 season that saw him play just 13 games.
Through 74 games, Mantha has career-highs in goals (29), assists (28), and points (57) as he continues to play with the enticing size/skill combination that made him feel like a potential breakout candidate for so many years.
One of the Better Defensive Efforts in a While
Though team defense remains a concern, it was definitively better on the whole against the Islanders. Goaltending remains a huge issue and Arturs Silovs had a couple of rough goals against the Islanders that probably should have been stopped.
Part of the narrative surrounding the goaltending issue had to do with an overall lack of team defense. If the Penguins are going to get through and make it to the playoffs, they will need to be better in front of their embattled netminders.
The Islanders aren’t exactly an offensive dynamo but for the Penguins to hold them to 23 shots had to be a confidence booster. The final eight games will be a good test of where the Penguins are defensively and what their chances of doing more will be.
A Massive Two Points
No matter how you slice it, this was a huge two points for the Penguins. They leapfrogged the Islanders for second in the Metropolitan Division, though the race remains tight between those two and the Columbus Blue Jackets.
It is more than likely going to come down tot eh final weekend of the season, and the Penguins are going to need to win some tough division games if they are going to hold onto one of these Metropolitan Division spots.
