UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- There would seem a strong possibility, even probability, that Matt Murray will practice in full with all his Penguins teammates Tuesday afternoon at Chicago's United Center.
That would clear the way for the franchise goaltender to start the following night against the Blackhawks after missing the previous three weeks with a lower body injury.
And if all goes according to plan, Murray will then start the majority of the remaining 52 games on the schedule, all the playoff games and the Penguins will go on to win the Stanley Cup — and the rest, as they say, is history.
Well, if that's how it does play out, you might want to keep in mind Casey DeSmith's not-so small contribution in getting them there in December.
The Penguins were 7-8-3 when Murray went down but, much like they did in Monday night's gutty 2-1 shootout win against the Islanders, they had to scratch, claw and probably a few other things, to work their way back.
Monday's game at a raucous NYCB Live, the arena formerly known as Nassau Coliseum, had the energy and decibel-level of a rock show but ended with nary the sound of a pin drop when Jake Guentzel slid the puck between the pads of Robin Lehner in the fifth round of the shootout:
It was not the Penguins' prettiest performance; far from it. But it was their grittiest.
It was the first time they won a game this season when scoring less than three goals. And for that they can thank their backup goalie.
Making his fifth straight start and ninth in the last 12, DeSmith didn't just make the timely saves, he absolutely stole two points against the pesky Islanders.
Yep, it's true: the goalie has to be your best penalty killer. That was DeSmith, who stopped 25 of 26 shots in regulation and overtime. Five of those saves came while shorthanded. And then for good measure, he stopped four of five in the shootout:
"I thought he was fantastic," Jack Johnson say saying. "Looked extremely confident throughout the whole game, especially in the shootout when he was great standing tall in there. He's been great all year."
To be fair, DeSmith did receive some help from his penalty killers, who had yet another busy night.
After taking five penalties in Ottawa on Saturday, the Penguins took four more on Monday.
The last of which, Derick Brassard's trip of Valtteri Filppula in overtime, resulted in the dreaded 4-on-3. That would be the same format that resulted in the Penguins' loss to the Senators.
With all that open ice, it created a shooting gallery on DeSmith. But the Penguins responded with the most inspired kill of their season. It required a pair of huge blocks from Bryan Rust and Zach Aston-Reese, who gave up their body to eat pucks.
Oh, and did I mention that DeSmith lost his stick at one point?
Ryan Pulock's slap shot knocked the stick clean out of DeSmith's right hand, but Derek Grant finally managed to get the clear and, ultimately, the kill.
"That's the difference in the game," Sullivan said in an understatement. "It was a hard-fought game. There wasn't a lot of room out there. There was blocked shots by Zach, Rusty, Jack Johnson did a terrific job. Casey was there when we didn't block shots. All the guys who were out there did a terrific job."
But the game wasn't over.
For just the second time this season, the Penguins went to the shootout, having lost the first. DeSmith had been in net for that Oct. 6 loss at Montreal when he didn't stop — or even get a piece of — the shots he faced.
Remember that talk about DeSmith being bad in overtime and shootouts?
Not on Monday. He stopped Mathew Barzal, Leo Komarov, Anthony Beauvillier and Valtteri Filppula to seal the win, the Penguins' first in four games that had gone beyond regulation. It was also the first OT or shootout win of DeSmith's career.
Despite all their ups and downs, the Penguins have still managed to go 6-2-2 in their last 10 games and DeSmith has been in net for eight of them.
How this season ends up, no one knows. But if it ends up in another one of those parades down the Boulevard of the Allies and Murray wins the Conn Smythe, the Penguins would be wise to remember this game in December on Long Island and a stellar outing from their backup goalie.
"I knew I'd be able to succeed at this level; I thought I did that a little bit last year," DeSmith told DKPittsburghSports.com. "I'm just playing games. Taking it easy and having fun. Obviously, the team's been playing well. I don't think anybody's trying to change anything."
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
THREE STARS
My curtain calls go to …
1. Casey DeSmith
Penguins goalie
Made 25 saves on 26 shots for his first win beyond regulation.
2. Zach Aston-Reese
Penguins forward
Playing in front of friends and family, had team-highs in hits (8) and blocked shots (5).
3. Jake Guentzel
Penguins forward
Besides having to play his off-wing and scoring the SO winner, Mr. Playoffs played with playoff-like intensity.
THE INJURIES
• Penguins: Patric Hornqvist, right winger, was out again with an upper body injury sustained last Thursday vs. the Islanders. Sullivan said on Monday that he is still day-to-day but making progress. Hornqvist skated briefly before the start of the morning skate. … Dominik Simon, forward, missed his third game with a lower body injury sustained last Tuesday. He was placed on IR on Friday. … Matt Murray, goalie, is out longer term with a lower body injury … Matt Cullen, center, is out longer term with a lower-body injury. … Both Cullen and Murray skated on their own again on Monday, prior to their teammates and then stayed on for the skate. … Justin Schultz, defenseman, is expected to miss four months after fracturing his leg Oct. 13 in Montreal.
• Islanders: Andrew Ladd, forward, is on IR with a lower body injury. He’s been out since Nov. 15, missing nine games.
THE GOOD
The newly renovated Nassau Coliseum now holds just 13,900 for hockey, making it the smallest venue in the NHL by nearly 2,500 seats. But you could have fooled anyone who was in the building for Monday night's game between Metropolitan Division rivals.
This one was fun.
Though it was the middle of December, it was a playoff-like atmosphere that brought out the best and worst in both teams. It clearly energized the Islanders, who were playing their second of 21 games in their old home. The scene was a stark contrast to that at Barclays Center on Nov. 3 where the Islanders won a 3-2 shootout in front of 10,910.
"They brought it, they brought a lot of effort," DeSmith was saying. "We had to match it."
It remains to be seen if the surprising Islanders can sustain this level of support -- remember it was called Nassau Mausoleum before they left for Brooklyn -- but perhaps absence does indeed make the heart grow fonder. From the tailgating in the parking lot to the chants that can't be repeated here, the Islanders have clearly struck a chord with fans on Long Island upon the team's return.
It didn't go unnoticed by the Penguins either.
"I've never seen a fan score a goal, but I hope every building we go in is rocking," Johnson said. "It's a fun environment to play in. It's what the NHL should be like."
Even Letang, who, along with Crosby, was the biggest target for boobirds, seemed to enjoy himself.
"That's what makes it fun," the defenseman told me. "You play for those games. It's better that than 3,000 people and nobody's cheering."
THE BAD
Reigning Calder Trophy winner Barzal is one of the league's most electrifying young talents. The Penguins are -- or at least should be -- well aware of that. Entering Monday's game, the 21-year-old had already put up five points in seven career games against Pittsburgh.
He doesn't need any help. But Brassard certainly gave him some with 13:30 remaining in the second period.
After he had just picked Barzal's pocket in the Penguins zone, Brassard attempted to spring a 3-on-2 rush. Instead, he ended up passing the puck right back to Barzal, who then fed Josh Bailey, who threw a centering pass over to Anthony Beauvillier at the right of the net. From there, DeSmith stood no chance as Beauvillier pumped in his eighth of the season and second in as many games at the Coliseum.
It was a brain-cramp play from Brassard, who had a few on Monday.
"I take responsibility," Brassard said. "When I turned the puck over with Barzal there, I tried to catch a fast break with three guys. He was, like, one of the guys that was standing behind Olli. It is what it is. There's always mistakes. Every goal you see scored in the NHL every night, there's always mistakes happening and it ended up in our net."
THE PLAY
Brassard's tying goal. See Drive to the Net.
THE CALL
There was no controversial call or coaches challenges but full marks to the crew of Eric Furlatt and Kyle Rehman for getting it right.
At 12:29 of the third period in a tied game, Thomas Hickey took an Evgeni Malkin slap shot to the forehead, dropping the Islanders defenseman as trainers rushed to his side. Sidney Crosby showed immediate concern for Hickey, whose visor was streaked with blood.
But well away from the injury, Cal Clutterbuck used that exact moment to throw a crosscheck at Letang, who responded with a punch up high on the Islanders' fourth-line pest. It did not appear to be a very hard shot but Clutterbuck crumpled to the ice before leaving for the dressing room. He did not return (Barzal served the penalty).
Both Letang and Clutterbuck were rightfully penalized for crosschecking and roughing, respectively. But full marks to the officials for not calling only the retaliatory blow.
THE OTHER SIDE
After the morning skate, Scott Mayfield was talking about the Islanders needing to "take it" to the Penguins. Clearly, they tried to be the more physical team as they out-hit the Penguins 40-27.
But they couldn't take two points away from Monday night's game.
The Islanders finished the season series with a 2-1-1 mark against the Penguins but thought they deserved a better fate after receiving an outstanding effort from Lehner, who made 23 saves, 11 of them in the second period.
It was the second straight shootout loss for the injury-plagued goalie, who hasn't won since Oct. 30. At 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds, Lehner is the NHL's largest goalie and takes away a lot of net but he showed great athleticism to make a right pad stop on Kessel not three minutes into the first period.
"I thought he made some real difficult saves really early and at key moments," Barry Trotz said. "It was a good game for him to come back. Our disappointment is we didn't get the two points."
THE SCHEDULE
The Penguins will practice Tuesday at 2 p.m. (Eastern Time) at the United Center in Chicago where they’ll face the Blackhawks at 8:08 p.m. on Wednesday.
THE COVERAGE
Visit our Penguins team page for everything.
