Pittsburgh Penguins winger Jake Guentzel says teammate Evgeni Malkin is "fun to watch" when playing at the level he's currently at. In the final contest of the 2023 calendar year, the Pittsburgh Penguins played host to the New York Islanders who they dominated just a few days earlier. The Penguins, playing on the second half of a back-to-back, were expecting a heavy response from the Islanders, and it came right away. FIRST PERIOD As the puck dropped, so did the gloves of John Ludvig and Matt Martin who picked up fighting majors in the opening seconds of the game. Ludvig didn’t have much going for him in the donnybrook, but fighting isn’t what the Penguins were playing. The Penguins allowed a quick breakaway, but Alex Nedeljkovic stood strong in goal and just moments later his teammates answered with the game’s first goal. A 2-on-1 formed as Jansen Harkins found Lars Eller for the goal just minutes after Denmark celebrated the turning of the new year. The Penguins followed up their first goal with some flat play as the Islanders pressured for a good chunk of the opening period. During a man advantage opportunity, the Islanders peppered Nedeljkovic with a couple of grade-A chances, but he and Chad Ruhwedel stepped up for multiple huge saves. With under two minutes remaining in the frame, the Islanders took a pair of penalties to open a two-man advantage opportunity for the Penguins. Despite being two men up, the Penguins did not record in the final 27 seconds of the period, but would have spill over time to start the second period. SECOND PERIOD The Penguins opened the second frame with 26 seconds left with a 5-on-3 chance which slipped away with no goal. They had another minute to work with at 5-on-4, but the Penguins still didn’t record on their chance. With lines shuffled after the power play chance, the Penguins ended up finding the back of the net on a good bounce. A Drew O’Connor pass was deflected between the legs by Noel Acciari for his third goal of the season. The Penguins were soon forced to play without their captain Sidney Crosby as a follow through from Mat Barzal caught Crosby up high. Crosby went down the runway bleeding and didn’t return for multiple shifts. The Penguins even got a chance on the power play without Crosby as an option, but they failed to score. After about 10 minutes, Crosby returned to the bench with a big scar on his cheek; he played two shifts for the remainder of the period. The second frame eventually came to a close with the Penguins carrying a 2-0 lead and just 20 minutes separating them from the new year. THIRD PERIOD The Penguins have played extremely well in the second halves of back-to-backs this season and they looked to continue that trend with a strong third period. Nedeljkovic continued his shutout bid with a few more huge saves to keep the Penguins up by two. As the closing minutes approached, however, the Islanders were finally able to beat Nedeljkovic and get on the board. Nedeljkovic has been playing a great game and keeping the Penguins in it, but that Islanders goal turned the final few minutes into a one-goal nail-biter. The Islanders pulled their goalie for the extra attacker and under two minutes to play. On a second try opportunity, Eller potted the empty netter to give the Penguins another two-goal lead and likely seal the contest. Eller's second goal of the night capped off a tremendous game from him and his linemates, Harkins and Valtteri Puustinen. The Penguins were given a power play opportunity in the closing seconds but iced the clock to close out yet another huge win. Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins [http://insidethepenguins.com/]for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more. Radim Zohorna Scratched from Penguins Lineup [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/radim-zohorna-scratched-pittsburgh-penguins-lineup] Penguins Should Expect Strong Response from Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/players/pittsburgh-penguins-expect-strong-response-new-york-islanders] Former Penguins Goalie Could Make History in 1,000th Game [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/former-pittsburgh-penguins-marc-andre-fleury-history-1000-game] Kyler Murray Arrives in Philadelphia Wearing Sidney Crosby Jersey [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/kyler-murray-philadelphia-pittsburgh-penguins-sidney-crosby-jersey] Penguins Enter New Year With Important Pair of Games [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/pittsburgh-penguins-new-year-important-pair-games] * undefined * undefined
