Page 22 - ARUBA TODAY

A22 sports
Monday 15 april 2019
Islanders top Penguins 4-1 to take 3-0 series lead

By WILL GRAVES ue to build yours, it’s key.” peration. Still, he opted
AP Sports Writer Matt Murray finished with 32 to tinker with his lines in
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The New saves for the Penguins, but search of a spark, elevating
York Islanders don’t play a Pittsburgh again struggled Dominik Simon to the top
particularly sexy brandy of to generate any sort of sus- line alongside Crosby and
hockey. They forecheck. tained offensive pressure. Guentzel and putting Jar-
They backcheck. They New York, which allowed ed McCann — who sat out
block shots and take few an NHL-low 196 goals on its Game 2 with a lower-body
risks, more focused on fun- way to a second-place fin- injury — on the second line
damentals than flash. ish in the Metropolitan Divi- with Evgeni Malkin and Phil
It’s a style designed to frus- sion, has clamped down on Kessel.
trate opponents regardless Crosby and linemate Jake It didn’t quite work. Simon
of pedigree, one that has Guentzel. The two — who had a chance to even the
them on the cusp of just combined for 75 goals and score late in the first period,
their second playoff series 101 assists during the regu- but Guenztel’s crossing
win in more than a quarter- lar season — have yet to re- pass at the end of a 3-on-1
century. cord a point in the playoffs. headed to Simon’s stick in-
Jordan Eberle and Brock Pittsburgh needs a win in stead of his skate, emblem-
Nelson scored 62 seconds Game 4 on Tuesday to atic of a series in which few
apart in the first period to avoid being swept for the bounces have gone Pitts-
quickly erase a rare defi- first time since the 2013 burgh’s way. Not that the
cit, Robin Lehner stopped Pittsburgh Penguins’ Bryan Rust (17) and New York Islanders’ Eastern Conference finals Penguins were looking for
Johnny Boychuk (55) collide in the goal crease in front of
25 shots and the Islanders goaltender Robin Lehner during the third period in Game 3 of an against Boston. sympathy.
moved within one victory NHL first-round hockey playoff series in Pittsburgh, Sunday, April “You’ve got to find ways “If we work hard and do
of finishing off Sidney Cros- 14, 2019. The Islanders won 4-1. to score goals this time of the right things, we’ll earn
by and the rest of the frus- Associated Press year,” Crosby said. “It’s not our bounces,” Crosby said.
trated Pittsburgh Penguins “We kind of did our best to Eberle beat Matt Murray easy but you’ve got to find The Islanders have certainly
with a 4-1 win on Sunday play simple hockey and re- short side from just above a way to do it and obvi- earned theirs.
to take a 3-0 lead in their ally just grind it out a little the goal line 28 seconds ously we haven’t done a Now they find themselves
best-of-seven Eastern Con- bit,” said New York forward after Wilson’s score to tie good job of it through the in a spot that seemed im-
ference quarterfinal. Anders Lee, whose empty- the game and Nelson fin- first three games.” probable at best a week
It’s heady territory for a net goal with 1:28 to go ished off a 2-on-1 to put The Islanders controlled ago: heading to Game 4
franchise that’s advanced pushed the Islanders to the New York in front to stay just Games 1 and 2 back home with a chance to make
past the first round just once cusp of an unlikely sweep. over a minute later. Lehner on Long Island to take the Pittsburgh’s playoff stay the
since 1993. Yet the Island- It’s what the Islanders do. withstood a series of pushes franchise’s first 2-0 post- shortest of the Crosby/Mal-
ers certainly look like they While they lack Pittsburgh’s by the Penguins, and the season lead since the 1983 kin era. They’re also aware
belong on the big stage. offensive firepower, they’ve Islanders counterpunched Stanley Cup finals, when the next victory will be the
They’ve outscored Pitts- made up for it with depth brilliantly in the third pe- they completed their run hardest to come by.
burgh 11-5 through three and resiliency. Rather than riod behind goals from Leo of four straight champion- “This group is not afraid of
games and have trailed get rattled after Garrett Wil- Komarov and Lee to pull ships by sweeping Wayne work,” said first-year Island-
for less than four minutes son gave the Penguins just away. Gretzky and the Edmonton ers coach Barry Trotz, who
through nine-plus periods their second lead of the “Playoffs are all about mo- Oilers. led Washington past Pitts-
against a team that began series when he redirected mentum,” said Eberle, who The Penguins insisted it burgh last spring on the
the playoffs looking to cap- a point shot by Lehner just has three goals in three wasn’t time to panic, with way to the Stanley Cup.
ture its third Stanley Cup in past the midway point of games. “When you can coach Mike Sullivan down- “They’re not afraid of com-
four years, a dream that’s the first period, the Islanders take some team’s momen- playing the idea his team petition. They’re not afraid
all but vanished. responded immediately. tum away and just contin- needed to play with des- of a whole lot.”q
U.S. beats Finland in shootout

for gold after OT controversy

ESPOO, Finland (AP) — Alex but officials spent more ing their game while emo-
Rigsby stopped four of five than 10 minutes review- tions were running high, in
shots in a shootout and the ing the play before disal- a loud building and against
United States beat Finland lowing the goal for goalie a team that played us in-
2-1 on Sunday night for its interference and forcing credibly hard,” U.S. coach
fifth consecutive gold med- players to pick up their Bob Corkum said. “It’s
al at the women’s world equipment and resume the been an honor to coach
championship. game. Fans who chanted this team.”
The U.S. won after a ques- “Suomi!” and waved blue This was already a first for
tionable goaltender inter- and white flags throughout Finland, which pulled a
ference review wiped out the game and erupted into stunning upset of Canada
what would have been a jubilation after Nieminen in the semifinals Saturday
Goalkeeper Alex Rigsby of the United States lies on the ice historic overtime goal for appeared to score rained behind 43 saves from Noo-
while Riikka Nieminen of Finland starts celebrating her game- the Finns. boos down on the Ameri- ra Raty. The U.S. and Cana-
winning overtime goal which was later disallowed during the Finland celebrated on cans when they were given da had met in each of the
IIHF Women’s Ice Hockey World Championships final match
between the United States and Finland in Espoo, Finland, Sunday, home ice after Petra Ni- their medals. previous 28 world champi-
April 14, 2019. eminen scored on a re- “I’m extremely proud of onship finals dating to the
Associated Press bound 11:33 into overtime, our team tonight for play- first in 1990. q