Tim Benz: Penguins and Islanders facing similar circumstances in multiple ways

There is one thing the Pittsburgh Penguins did right against the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday night. At least they scored first.

It took a while. But Sidney Crosby was able to tally a power-play goal with a little more than a minute remaining in the first period to make it 1-0.

It's Penguins' legends night at PPG Paints Arena! ???? pic.twitter.com/JFov8kFTAT

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) February 18, 2024

From there, though, they didn’t score again and eventually blew the lead to the Kings, falling 2-1.

Their opponent at PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday night, the New York Islanders, also let one slip away Sunday. They lost a Stadium Series game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. to their crosstown rivals, the New York Rangers. After building a 4-1 lead, the Isles ended up losing 6-5 in overtime.

The Rangers got two goals from Upper St. Clair’s Vince Trocheck and a game-winner from Artemi Panarin.

BREADMAN ALWAYS DELIVERS. pic.twitter.com/exWaK3Gtbg

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) February 18, 2024

Those outdoor games can be a little extra taxing on your body. The ice often isn’t as good. The wind and cold can take a little more out of you. The games tend to be longer for national television, plus extra weather-and-ice-related stoppages. In the case of this one for the Islanders, it went overtime against an archrival as the Rangers were pushing to make a big comeback.

So you might think the Penguins would be primed to pounce all over a fatigued Islanders team entering this game with just one day of rest coming off the outdoor game and travel in between.

Look at the Penguins themselves as a comparison. They played the Winter Classic last year in Boston on Jan. 2, then had to fly out to Vegas to play the Golden Knights for a game three days later on Jan. 5. They got blitzed, giving up a goal (to Phil Kessel) less than two minutes into the game and got down 3-0 in the first period before falling 5-2.

But most of the Penguins I talked to Monday after practice downplayed the potential advantage, saying, if anything, the outdoor games tend to wear you down based on all the hype, practice schedules, and ancillary stuff that goes on around them more than the physical attrition of the game itself.

“Being the away team in Boston, we were there four days early, and you had skates there and family with New Year’s and everything,” defenseman Marcus Pettersson said. “The organization had a little (event) too. So, yeah, for sure. Maybe (New York could be tired). It depends on how many days you have in between games. It’s only two days for them. We were in Boston, and we had to go all the way out west. It was a high-event game for (New York) too, an emotional game. But it was the same for us coming off that ceremony.”

That last point from Pettersson was one that a number of Penguins emphasized. While the Jaromir Jagr jersey retirement ceremony didn’t exactly lend itself to any extra physical exertion for the Pens, it certainly was a long day at the rink. There was a lot of hoopla and extra pomp and circumstance surrounding the event, plenty of media obligations and disruption of schedules as well.

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So perhaps any disadvantage for the Islanders coming into Pittsburgh may well be mitigated by the natural comedown that’s likely to be present at PPG Paints Arena after the emotion of the evening and the general atmosphere Sunday.

“I think (the Stadium Series and Winter Classic) are always an emotional game. There’s a lot that comes with it,” Crosby said. “But being in a position that both of us are in, I would expect two pretty urgent teams. They’re always close games against them. It’s always been like that. I would expect them to be fired up and to be ready. We have to respond after the (Kings) game.”

To underscore Crosby’s point, both teams better play desperate hockey. Neither team is in a playoff position right now. The Islanders have lost three in a row and are in 10th place in the Eastern Conference with 58 points, two slots behind the Detroit Red Wings for the final wild card. They have 64 four points.

As for the Penguins, they have dropped four of five and sit in 12th place with 55 points. So, irrespective of circumstances, head coach Mike Sullivan says a good start against the Islanders is vital.

“When you can get the first goal, to play with a lead or, if anything, just establish momentum — I think that’s an important element of success in this league,” Sullivan said Monday. “You can set up the context however you want. Regardless of what the context is, we always want to be a team that starts well and tries to grab momentum as quickly as possible. That’s an area where I think we have an opportunity to get better.”

The Penguins can certainly get better in a lot of places. Two positive results this season have come against the Islanders. A 7-0 shutout win on the road on Dec. 27 and a 3-1 win at PPG Paints Arena on New Year’s Eve.

Sullivan’s team would be well advised to make it three-for-three against their divisional rivals Tuesday night. Otherwise, this hole the club has dug for itself may soon be too deep to escape before the trade deadline hits on March 8.

Listen: Tim Benz and Brian Metzer discuss the Penguins and the Jaromir Jagr jersey retirement in this week’s Gerger Construction hockey podcast