Rust got a huge goal at a sharp angle to put Pittsburgh up 3-2 in the second, a great response period after a tough ending to the first.
The Penguins started the game strong, a marked improvement from last night’s loss to Ottawa, where the team just didn’t have it. Egor Chinakhov drew a power play just 1:54 into play, and they got a couple of Grade-A chances, including one from Sidney Crosby. Anthony Mantha then hit the 20-goal mark just over 12 minutes in, with the big scoring forward staying hot.
But in the last two minutes, the Islanders tied it up. Stuart Skinner made a couple of stops as the Islanders had a couple of cracks, but the Penguins couldn’t clear. Team Canada Olympian Bo Horvat found the loose puck at the paint and put it over the line.
Then, with seconds remaining, the Islanders scored on a delayed penalty call. The first overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, Matthew Schaefer, unleashed a huge slapshot from the point for his 16th goal of the season.
During the intermission, the Penguins relied on their leadership and experience to help them regroup. And the top line went out and set the tone. Pittsburgh got a great shift from Rust, Crosby and Rickard Rakell, and they just kept building from there.
It took less than five minutes for Chinakhov to score yet another goal. He now has eight goals in 17 games with Pittsburgh since being acquired from Columbus, and since he debuted on Jan. 1, no Penguin has more goals than him.
Then, Rust decided to go for it while below the goal line, putting the puck on net from there and fooling Ilya Sorokin, a Vezina Trophy finalist in the 2022-23 season.
“There were some notes on him that he kind of holds his glove weird on the post like that,” Rust said. “So, I was able to get it quick, and saw he wasn’t set yet, so I just tried to find it.”