from Ethan Sears of the New York Post,
The last time the Islanders faced the Penguins, they ended Pittsburgh’s 2020-21 season with Game 6 victory in a first-round playoff series. Much has changed since that night in May.
Chief among those changes: The Islanders, who took the Lightning to seven games in the Stanley Cup semifinals last season, look less and less like a playoff contender with each passing day. After a 1-0 loss to the Penguins on Friday night, the Islanders (5-10-2) have now been beaten in eight straight games and face a 17-point climb just to make it back to a postseason berth.
“This is one of the biggest challenges I’ve ever faced in 20-some years,” head coach Barry Trotz said, referring to the injury and illness that have hit the Islanders. “And I started with an expansion team.”
The Islanders looked overmatched from the start Friday. The Penguins accounted for 10 of the game’s first 12 shots, and Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin was the sole reason the final score wasn’t uglier.
Game highlights are below.
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