Keith Aucoin News

Without a doubt, from the moment that the Penguins beat the Islanders in overtime of game 6 on Saturday night, one of the first things that came to mind for many was the Matt Cooke factor.

The playoffs are over for us, but for the first time in years the Islanders are entering the offseason as a team that does not need to find a way to reinvent itself.

Brooks Orpik scored 7:49 into overtime, and the Pittsburgh Penguins overcame three one-goal deficits in Game 6 to eliminate the New York Islanders with a 4-3 victory on Saturday night.

Brooks Orpik scored 7:49 into overtime, and the Penguins overcame three one-goal deficits to eliminate the Islanders with a 4-3 victory in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal Saturday night.

Brooks Orpik scored 7:49 into overtime, and the Pittsburgh Penguins overcame three one-goal deficits in Game 6 to eliminate the New York Islanders with a 4-3 victory on Saturday night.

Today, for the first time in what will hopefully be many, many more occasions, Islanders fans get to consider Nielsen and Nelson at the same time.

Tomas Vokoun and Tyler Kennedy were just two of several changes Coach Dan Bylsma made.

Tonight's Round 1, Game 5 of the 2013 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Islanders will be televised locally on ROOT Sports - Pittsburgh and nationally on TSN and NBC Sports Network.

Not like this team hasn't faced adversity, but this is the first key injury kind of adversity in 2013.

Sidney Crosby did what he always seems to do in big moments, scoring two quick goals in his return from a broken jaw.

Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were on the board early, and the Islanders were on their heels from the very start of Game 2. But the resiliency the Isles showed all during their second-half run to the playoffs came back on Friday night as they erased a 3-1 deficit and pulled out a 4-3 win over the Penguins to even the Eastern Conference ... (more)

Instead, they only reminded themselves of more recent failures at the hands of the talented top seed in this year's playoffs.

The New York Islanders open their first playoff series since 2007 tonight, with a lineup full of playoff newbies.

The New York Islanders will begin their first round playoff matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday, and while most of the focus on their chance to pull off an upset centers on the star power of John Tavares and Evgeni Nabokov it may actually be the third and fourth lines that have the biggest contribution.

Thomas Vanek scored the eventual game-winning goal in the first round of a shootout and Ryan Miller, playing his 500th career game, made 30 saves as the Buffalo Sabres downed the New York Islanders 2-1, Friday in both teams' regular-season finale at First Niagara Center.