Remember that home-ice advantage that the Penguins craved?
The one they battled so hard to earn over the 56-game regular season, especially during the stretch drive?
The one they were so glad to have going into their first-round playoff series against the Islanders?
Turns out it was as durable as a puff of steam.
When New York winger Kyle Palmieri threw a shot past Tristan Jarry from the bottom of the right circle at 16:30 of overtime Sunday, the Islanders had a 4-3 victory in Game 1 -- and at least temporary possession of home ice in the series, which will resume Tuesday at 7:38 p.m. at PPG Paints Arena.
And so the Penguins are in an all-too-familiar situation. They have lost the opener in three consecutive series, and have just one victory in their past 11 playoff games.
Almost as troubling is that, after going 25-1-1 during the regular season when leading at the second intermission, they lost for the third time in the past five playoff games in which they were ahead after two periods.
The inability to close out games is not a trait often associated with teams that have extended stays in the postseason.
The Penguins were the better team for much of the first two periods, but during the final 20 minutes of regulation, the Islanders had a 13-6 advantage in shots and a 2-1 edge in goals. In the process, New York transformed a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead, although a Kasperi Kapanen goal quickly erased it.
"It would have been great to hold onto the lead," Sidney Crosby said. "But we knew they were going to push, and they did."
Mike Sullivan and his players disputed suggestions that the Islanders had the better of play during the third -- "They had their moments, we had our moments," Sullivan said -- but what defies contention is that that's when New York was able to rally from a 2-1 deficit.
And that during the overtime that followed, Palmieri, who had scored two goals in 17 regular-season games after being acquired from New Jersey as the trade deadline approached, got his second of the afternoon to put New York up in the series.
The game-winner, like the three New York goals that preceded it, beat Jarry on the glove side, echoing a flaw in Matt Murray's game that presumably played a part in him being traded to Ottawa after last season.
And while it's not likely that the Islanders could do anything to Jarry that would prompt Ron Hextall to deal him this summer, the Penguins' chances of advancing to Round 2 could be imperiled if that proves to be a weakness New York can exploit throughout the series, rather than a one-game glitch.
Jarry's teammates don't seem to be concerned about the possibility of it being a recurring issue.
"He's been great for us all season long," Cody Ceci said. "He's stolen us a lot of games. ... We're not worried about him."
Jarry, it must be noted, finished with 37 saves, including a few on quality chances that could have ended the game earlier.
"There were some good saves at both ends of the rink," Sullivan said.
Indeed, Islanders rookie Ilya Sorokin finished with 39 stops and never seemed fazed in making his first playoff start.
"He's probably as level-headed of a goaltender as you're going to meet," New York coach Barry Trotz said.
Whether any of that will dissuade Trotz from going with his goalie of choice, Semyon Varlamov, in Game 2 remains to be seen. Apparently, the Isles' coaching staff wanted to give Varlamov, who had been nursing an injury, one more practice before returning him to the lineup.
It's seems safe assume that Jarry will get the call again Tuesday, and it's far from certain that Sullivan will make any other personnel moves then, especially if Evgeni Malkin still isn't cleared to play.
That's because the lineup Sullivan deployed Sunday did enough things well, particularly during the first two periods, that the outcome could have been different.
"I thought we did some good things, especially in the first half," Crosby said. "I thought we were on our toes, created a lot."
Their special-teams play was fairly strong, too. The power play failed to score in three tries, but actually kept the puck in the New York zone for two full minutes on its first attempt, and the penalty-killers limited the Islanders to two shots while killing a double-minor assessed to Jeff Carter in the second period.
"I thought the first few power plays, they were really good," Sullivan said. "I thought we had a lot of zone time. We had a lot of territory. We had some good looks."
Which is something the Islanders didn't get many of while Carter was in the box.
"We were all on the same page," said Frederick Gaudreau, one of five forwards who killed those minors.
Sullivan also had to like the way his team responded to the two leads New York grabbed before it got the winner in overtime.
Less than 3 1/2 minutes after Palmieri put the Islanders up, 1-0, in the first period, Gaudreau pulled the Penguins even. And when Brock Nelson made it 3-2 in the third, Kapanen countered just 31 seconds later.
"(Kapanen's goal) is a huge point in the game," Sullivan said. "A lot of teams probably would have been extremely deflated."
It didn't happen to the Penguins, perhaps because this is their 15th consecutive trip to the playoffs, so most of their players have been on this stage often enough to appreciate that games rarely play out on a steady trajectory.
"I don't think there was any moment where the game turned," Sullivan said. "I think there were surges on both sides. There were momentum swings. That's playoff hockey."
Getting a few more of those swings to go in their favor will be critical if the Penguins are to rebound and win a playoff series for the first time since 2018.
"I know we have more to give," Sullivan said. "I know we have the ability to be a better team."
With their home-ice advantage gone already, the Penguins probably have no choice but to prove that he's correct.
MORE FROM THE GAME
• Crosby scored a spectacular goal, on a one-handed deflection of a Brian Dumoulin shot. "I was just trying to get my stick on it," he said. "I didn't know what way it was going to go."
• Jake Guentzel slammed hard into the end boards, but apparently was not badly injured, when Sorokin used his stick to swipe Guentzel's skates out from under him during the first period, giving the Penguins their first power play. Guentzel's contact with the boards was reminiscent of the incident that forced him to sit out the second half of the 2019-20 season while recovering from shoulder surgery.
• Gaudreau's goal was his fourth in nine career playoff games; he has scored five in 103 regular-season appearances. "It's the time of the year that I really enjoy," he said.
• New York finished with a 72-47 advantage in hits, and playing the body vigorously figures to remain part of its approach for the balance of the series. "They do have some heavy guys who are going to finish their checks," Ceci said. "I thought we handled it pretty well. We're going to have to keep handling it well to make it a good series."
• The Penguins had a 37-33 edge on faceoffs, as Gaudreau was their only center to have a losing day on draws (5-9).
• Every New York forward and defenseman except Nick Leddy was credited with at least one shot on goal.
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
• Highlights
• NHL scoreboard
• Standings
• Statistics
THE THREE STARS
As selected at PPG Paints Arena:
1. Kyle Palmieri, Islanders
2. Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Islanders
3. Sidney Crosby, Penguins
THE INJURIES
• Center Evgeni Malkin has an unspecified injury.
• Goalie Casey DeSmith is "day-to-day" because of an unspecified lower-body injury.
THE LINEUPS
Sullivan’s lines and pairings:
Jake Guentzel-Sidney Crosby-Bryan Rust
Jared McCann--Jeff Carter-Kasperi Kapanen
Jason Zucker-Frederick Gaudreau-Evan Rodrigues
Zach Aston-Reese-Teddy Blueger-Brandon Tanev
Brian Dumoulin-Kris Letang
Mark Friedman-Cody Ceci
Marcus Pettersson-John Marino
And for Barry Trotz's Islanders:
Leo Komarov-Mathew Barzal-Jordan Eberle
Anthony Beauvillier-Brock Nelson-Josh Bailwy
Kyle Palmieri-Jean-Gabriel Pageau-Oliver Wahlstrom
Matt Martin-Casey Cizikas-Cal Clutterbuck
Adam Pelech-Ryan Pulock
Nick Leddy-Scott Mayfield
Andy Greene-Noah Dobson
THE SCHEDULE
The Penguins are scheduled to practice Monday at noon at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in advance of Game 2 against the Islanders, Tuesday at 7:38 p.m. at PPG Paints Arena.
THE CONTENT
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