Evgeni Malkin said the Pittsburgh Penguins most recent OTL is fully on him. There’s just something about the New York Islanders; no matter the year, lineups, or arena, they always find ways to give the Pittsburgh Penguins fits. It’s a trend that can probably be followed all the way back to the 1975 NHL Quarter-Finals when the Islanders came back from a 3-0 deficit to reverse sweep the Penguins. Now, just days away from the calendar flipping to 2023, at least one of the teams decided to show up. In the first game back from the Christmas break, it can be argued that the Penguins put up their worst performance of the 2022-23 season. Despite a decent enough first period for the Penguins that ended with the score knotted at one, it was a horrendous second period where much of the damage was done. The Islanders filled the Penguins’ net with three goals on 20 shots in the second period alone. The Penguins were only able to muster four shots in the second frame. Head coach Mike Sullivan eluded prior to the game that he may adjust the configuration of the bottom six to get a jump in their production. Thanks to the Penguins poor play in the second period, every forward line saw some changes. Jake Guentzel – Sidney Crosby – Bryan Rust Danton Heinen – Evgeni Malkin – Rickard Rakell Teddy Blueger – Jeff Carter – Brock McGinn Jason Zucker – Drew O’Connor – Kasperi Kapanen While these changes didn’t sustain through the final whistle, it was still an attempt at a shot in the arm for the Penguins offense. An injury to Chad Ruhwedel also forced the entirety of the Penguins defenders to rotate around through the remainder of the game. When it was all said and done, the Penguins ate a 5-1 defeat and were outshot 42-21; the Penguins only put up eight total shots in the final two periods combined. Quite frankly, the Penguins were lucky it was only a 5-1 final score because there were multiple occasions the Islanders made them look downright bad. The Penguins need to shake off this poor performance and rebound in a much better way as they return home for a contest against the Detroit Red Wings in under 24 hours. Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins [http://insidethepenguins.com/]for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more! Ryan Poehling, Josh Archibald Again Out of Penguins Lineup [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/news/pittsburgh-penguins-ryan-poehling-josh-archibald-again-out-lineup] Penguins Back Half Breakout Player [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/podcasts/pittsburgh-penguins-back-half-breakout-player] Penguins Recall Mark Friedman After Christmas Break Re-Assignment [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/news/pittsburgh-penguins-recall-mark-friedman-after-christmas-break] Penguins Need Strong Start Out of Break [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/news/pittsburgh-penguins-need-strong-start-out-break] Penguins' Rivalries with Hurricanes, Rangers Reaching New Intensities [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/pens-talk/pittsburgh-penguins-hurricanes-rangers-rivalries-reach-new-intensities] * undefined * undefined
