PITTSBURGH — It was not the best game for the Islanders, and it also was a win against the first-place Penguins.
Kyle Okposo scored in the third round of the shootout, sending the Isles to a 5-4 victory.
“That’s the sign of a good team, when you don’t play well, and you don’t stay focused, and you don’t do the intangibles that it takes and you still win the hockey game,” Islanders coach Jack Capuano said.
Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby and the Isles’ Frans Nielsen scored in the second round, and Islanders goaltender Chad Johnson stopped Brandon Sutter. Then, Okposo deked to his forehand, slipping a shot that hit off Marc-Andre Fleury’s pad and into the net for the win.
“He came down, I tried to show him something, and it didn’t work,” said Fleury, who was seeking his 300th career win.
Matt Martin, Nikolay Kulemin and Ryan Strome scored in an impressive flurry in the first period, helping the Isles to the early lead. Strome also had two assists for the Islanders, who have won seven of eight and now trail Pittsburgh by two points in the Metropolitan Division.
“This has been one of our biggest rivals over the last few years, so you always get up for these games,” Martin said. “They’re the team we’re chasing in the standings right now.”
Patric Hornqvist forced overtime with his 10th goal of the year for the Penguins, who had won three in a row. Sutter, Blake Comeau and Nick Spaling also scored in regulation.
Kris Letang nearly ended it in overtime for Pittsburgh, but Johnny Boychuk stopped the wraparound attempt when he got his stick on the puck before it crossed the goal line.