from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,

There were moments when it appeared as if Sidney Crosby would take control. Bewitched, bothered and perhaps even bewildered (probably not) by the swarming coverage he faced at both ends of the ice, No. 87 took command with a grinding down-low shift midway through the second period that appeared to kickstart a Penguins team that had spent more time berating the officials than playing the Islanders.

But moments, that in fact were relatively few and far between, weren’t enough in Friday’s Game 2 at a Coliseum that rocked while the Islanders rolled to a 3-1 victory and a 2-0 lead in this first round that picks up in Pittsburgh on Sunday afternoon.

You can make the argument that in winning the opening two, the Islanders have merely held serve. But these 124:34 have reinforced the notion that they are the better team, recent postseason history be damned. And if you want some not-so-recent postseason history, there is this: The Islanders had not led a series 2-0 since their 1983 sweep of the Oilers in the finals that produced the fourth straight Cup.

“We’re not relying on some mystical history from over 30 years ago,” a bemused Cal Clutterbuck said when informed of that factoid. “It’s about what we do now.”

continued

from Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,