It took an overtime period, but the Pittsburgh Penguins yet again blew a third period lead to the New York Islanders.

PITTSBURGH - It can be argued that this matchup against the New York Islanders is the biggest game of the season for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The ups and downs of the season leading both the Penguins and Islanders within a point of each other sharing the two Eastern Conference wild card spots.

With a lot on the line for both teams, the first goal was more important than ever.

It was the Islanders who jumped out on top with the opening goal; the Penguins penalty kill has struggled for a number of weeks now, and that continued early in the first.

Anders Lee continues to be a Penguins killer with the power play goal to put the Islanders up by one.

The Penguins were able to answer back with a deflection goal from Jake Guentzel.

The season has been inconsistent for Guentzel, but this was his second goal in as many games as he works his way back to higher production.

Speaking of higher production, Jason Zucker continued his red-hot run of scoring by goving the Penguins a 2-1 lead with a little over 1:30 in the opening frame.

The goal set up by Evgeni Malkin was Zucker’s ninth goal in 11 games.

Josh Archibald isn’t exactly known for his offense but he got in on the fun with his fifth goal of the season.

A Brian Dumoulin shot deflected off of Archibald’s glove past Ilya Sorokin; the Islanders had a long conversation but decided not to challenge the call.

The second period came to and end with the Penguins not only up in goals, but also ahead in shots on goal.

After 40 minutes, the Penguins held a 24-13 lead in shots over the Islanders.

While it's good to enter the last 20 minutes with a lead, the Penguins have fumbled their last two contests against the Islanders by letting a third period lead slip away.

The Penguins held it down defensively for a majority of the period, but the Islanders finally broke through to pull themselves within one with just over five minutes to play.

The Islanders pulled Sorokin for the extra attacker, and they found a way to beat Tristan Jarry to knot the game with over a minute remaining.

With the  score tied at three, the Penguins and Islanders were heading to overtime.

With both teams securing a point, the bonus point became so much more important for the playoff race.

For the third straight time against the Islanders, the Penguins blow a third period lead.

For the first time ever, the Islanders swept the season series against the Penguins, and put space between them in the hunt for the postseason.

Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more!

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