Crosby has two assists in 1,000th NHL game, Penguins defeat Islanders

PITTSBURGH -- Sidney Crosby had two assists in his 1,000th NHL game to help the Pittsburgh Penguins defeat the New York Islanders 3-2 at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday.

"It means a lot," Crosby said. "It's a special day regardless of the outcome, but it makes it so much better when you win. Just everything from the guys and the ceremony in the room and on the ice, I was just completely spoiled today. It was a pretty awesome experience and a day I'll always remember."
Kris Letang scored twice, including the go-ahead goal in the third period for the Penguins (9-6-1), who have won four of their past five games. Tristan Jarry made 33 saves.
Jordan Eberle and Brock Nelson scored, and Semyon Varlamov made 15 saves for the Islanders (8-6-3), who lost 4-1 to the Penguins on Thursday following an eight-game point streak.
New York is 0-2-1 in three games against Pittsburgh since Feb. 11. Each team has 19 points in the MassMutual East Division; the Islanders have played one more game.
"Life's not fair sometimes," New York coach Barry Trotz said. "I think if you just stick to the process, you'll get those results. I think the guys know in the room that we probably deserved a point tonight at least, maybe two. If we continue to play that way, then we'll have success."
Letang gave the Penguins a 3-2 lead on a wrist shot from the high slot at 13:34 after Mike Matheson tied it 2-2 at 7:35 of the third period.
Nelson scored for a second straight game to give the Islanders a 2-1 lead when he sent a wrist shot through traffic 53 seconds into the third. He had one goal in his previous 11 games before scoring Thursday.
"Regulation losses sting a little bit more this year, but we did some good things," Nelson said. "[We] had a lead in the third. [We] want to try to find a way to close it out [and] learn from a couple mistakes."

Letang put the Penguins ahead 1-0 at 12:35 of the second period when Evgeni Malkin set him up for a one-timer on a power play.
Crosby, who is the first to play 1,000 games for the Penguins, had an assist on each of Letang's goals.
"We have so many memories," Letang said. "I think this one can add up to the bunch of them. As far as the game, even if we don't have our 'A' game on one of those nights, we can actually still be in the fight to win and gain some points in the standings. This team never gives up. They keep working hard."
Pittsburgh was being outshot 23-10 when Letang scored his first goal, and 26-12 entering the third period.
"That's part of why this core group of players has built the legacy they've built," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "A moment like that is an important goal for us. We didn't have a lot going, and that power play certainly gave us a spark."

Eberle tied it 1-1 at 15:28 of the second when he went forehand-to-backhand for his seventh goal of the season.
"I thought we stayed on top of them," Eberle said. "I think we limited their space and their chances. Some nights, it just doesn't go your way, so it's a tough one to swallow. But Barry's said it, if you play like that most nights, you're going to come out with some points. Tonight was tough."
NOTES: Crosby is the 350th NHL player, 25th active, to reach 1,000 games. He is the 57th player, 10th active, to play 1,000 games with one team. … Crosby has scored 1,278 points (468 goals, 810 assists), the eighth most through 1,000 games in NHL history. ... Islanders forward Michael Dal Colle did not play because of an undisclosed injury that Trotz said stemmed from blocking a slap shot against the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday. Forward Leo Komarov had one shot on goal in 9:27 after being scratched the previous two games. … Malkin left briefly after spinning off Islanders center Mathew Barzal and tumbling into the boards at 13:55 of the first period. Malkin finished his shift and went to the bench before retreating to the locker room. He returned about five minutes into the second.