The Penguins will remember this one for a long time.
They'll remember all the things they did so well.
How they dominated play for much of the game.
How they did almost everything that anyone could have asked.
And how, in the end, none of it mattered.
And why.
The Penguins' playoff history is littered with bitter memories of run-ins with the New York Islanders, but there usually is a hero, at least from the New York perspective.
Ed Westfall is on that list. Chico Resch, too. And David Volek. And John Tonelli.
Perhaps some will bestow similar status on Josh Bailey, who scored the game-winner in New York's 3-2 victory in double-overtime Monday at PPG Paints Arena, but he was just part of the supporting cast in this drama, for it was the giveaway that made his goal possible that left an indelible impression.
Tristan Jarry, whose ability to handle the puck is regarded as one of his greatest assets, inexplicably threw a pass that went directly to Bailey above the right circle during the first minute of the second extra period.
Bailey carried it into the slot, then flipped a shot over Jarry's glove to end the game. And to put the Penguins perilously close to the end of their season, since New York seized a 3-2 edge in this best-of-seven series.
Precisely what Jarry was trying to do isn't clear, since he didn't speak with reporters after the game, but his teammates and Mike Sullivan tried to absolve him of responsibility for the loss.
"It's a team game," Kris Letang said. "It's nobody's fault."
Nice sentiment. Not tethered to reality, but nice.
Although Sullivan acknowledged Jarry's lapse in judgment, he was equally supportive.
"He made a mistake," Sullivan said. "But he made some big saves for us throughout the course of the game, as well. ... We'll rally around him. He's been a really good goalie for us all year long. He'll continue to be a good goalie for us moving forward."
That Jarry's coach and teammates would try to exonerate him of culpability for costing them the game was totally predictable -- and understandable.
They recognize not only that Jarry played a prominent role in their first-place finish in the East Division, but that with Casey DeSmith injured, they don't have a proven goaltender to drop into the series, especially when the Penguins are on the cusp of elimination.
No, Jarry is their guy for the balance of their playoff run, whether that's one more game or three more rounds.
Regardless of how this series plays out, however, Jarry's blunder will rank among the most grievous playoff gaffes in franchise history, rivaling Hall of Fame defenseman Tim Horton's own-goal 12 seconds into overtime of Game 4 against Chicago during Round 1 in 1972.
That goal (which officially was credited to Blackhawks forward Pit Martin) capped Chicago's sweep of the series; the Hawks had entered it as prohibitive favorites, so there was little doubt they would be the team to advance, with or without Horton's inadvertent assistance.
That contrasts with the potential impact of Jarry's giveaway. It might go a long way toward determining which team moves on to face Boston in Round 2, because allowing the Islanders to take a 3-2 lead into Game 6 at Nassau Coliseum Wednesday at 6:38 p.m. skews the series heavily in New York's favor.
For while the Penguins' 5-4 victory there in Game 3 showed that they can win at the Coliseum, it figures to be a cauldron of noise and hostility during Game 6.
If there is an antidote, it would be to replicate much of what they did during Game 5, which was their best performance of the series.
"The result was not what we wanted," Letang said. "But I think we made a statement. That's the way we need to play."
The Penguins' 50-28 edge in shots was a fair reflection of the overall play -- it might have even flattered New York a bit -- and they got quality work from all four lines, three defense pairings and both special teams. Sullivan described as it "our best team game," and no one disagreed.
A sampling:
• Members of the Jake Guentzel-Sidney Crosby-Bryan Rust line, neutralized for much of the previous four games, combined for 14 shots on goal and numerous quality scoring chances. One of those was a Rust slap shot from above the right circle at 7:37 of the second period that gave the Penguins a 2-1 lead.
• Evgeni Malkin played his best game since returning to the lineup, scoring the Penguins' first goal on a vintage wrist shot from above the left dot during a power play at 8:20 of the first period. That was the only man-advantage goal by either team, both of which had two opportunities.
• The Penguins pulled off their second penalty-kill in a high-stress setting, as Frederick Gaudreau was sent off for tripping at 14:03 of the third period, with the score tied, 2-2. New York got just one shot on Jarry during those two minutes.
For all the Penguins did well -- which was just about everything, for most of the game -- they did have an occasional lapse, and the Islanders generally found a way to make it show up on the scoreboard.
With less than a minute to go in the opening period, Letang pinched in the offensive zone. Guentzel covered for him in the defensive end, but his attempt to impede the puck-carrier, Islanders forward Anthony Beauvillier, failed and Beauvillier beat Jarry to tie the game, 1-1, 54.4 seconds before intermission.
The Penguins made Rust's goal stand up until 8:50 of the third, when Jean-Gabriel Pageau bodied Brian Dumoulin off the puck behind the Penguins' goal line. Leo Komarov picked it up and slid it to Jordan Eberle, who scored from near the bottom of the right circle.
Being so opportunistic played a role in New York's victory, but not nearly as much as rookie goalie Ilya Sorokin did.
"You have to give him credit," Rust said. "He played well."
No, the Penguins played well; Sorokin played about five levels above that.
He has been touted as New York's goalie of the future, but based on his work during the Islanders' three victories -- and that of Semyon Varlamov in the two games the Penguins have won -- the future might be now.
"We had tons of chances," Letang said. "Their goalie made great saves."
Sorokin not only stopped almost everything that he saw but a few things that he didn't, like a Frederick Gaudreau deflection as the middle of the first overtime approached.
"He was outstanding," Islanders coach Barry Trotz said. "Gave us a chance."
And simultaneously gave the Penguins nightmares, along with a pretty clear challenge for Game 6: Win, or be ejected from the playoffs in the opening round for the third consecutive year.
That could be daunting under any circumstances; trying to do it just 48 hours after such a spirit-searing defeat -- this was more of a jackhammer to the solar plexus than a mere gut punch -- might only compound the difficulty, although Rust disputed such a suggestion.
"I don't think it matters if we lose, 10-0, or if we lose a game like tonight," he said. "It's the same mindset in the playoffs. You learn from it. You move on. You try to get better, and you just try to win the next one."
No matter how you lost the one before it.
MORE FROM THE GAME
• The Penguins have lost their past five overtime playoff games, and seven of the past eight. The lone exception: Game 7 of the conference final against Ottawa in 2017, when Chris Kunitz scored in double-overtime.
• Rust was one of three Penguins to finish with a game-high six shots. The others were Mike Matheson and Gaudreau. Every Penguins skater except John Marino was credited with a shot.
• The Penguins finished with a 32-29 edge on faceoffs. They were led by Jeff Carter, who won 14 of 19.
• Malkin's goal was his 172nd career playoff point, tying him with Mario Lemieux for the second-most in franchise history. Crosby is first with 191.
THE ESSENTIALS
THE THREE STARS
As selected at PPG Paints Arena:
1. Josh Bailey, Islanders
2. Ilya Sorokin, Islanders
3. Bryan Rust, Penguins
THE INJURY
• Goalie Casey DeSmith is "day-to-day" because of an unspecified lower-body injury.
THE LINEUPS
Sullivan’s lines and pairings:
Jake Guentzel-Sidney Crosby-Bryan Rust
Jason Zucker-Evgeni Malkin-Kasperi Kapanen
Jared McCann-Jeff Carter-Frederick Gaudreau
Zach Aston-Reese-Teddy Blueger-Brandon Tanev
Brian Dumoulin-Kris Letang
Mike Matheson-Cody Ceci
Marcus Pettersson-John Marino
And for Barry Trotz's Islanders:
Leo Komarov-Mathew Barzal-Jordan Eberle
Anthony Beauvillier-Brock Nelson-Josh Bailey
Kyle Palmieri-Jean-Gabriel Pageau-Oliver Wahlstrom
Matt Martin-Casey Cizikas-Cal Clutterbuck
Adam Pelech-Ryan Pulock
Nick Leddy-Scott Mayfield
Andy Greene-Noah Dobson
THE SCHEDULE
The Penguins are scheduled to practice Tuesday at noon before traveling to Long Island for Game 6 Wednesday.
THE CONTENT
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