Tuesday, 05 February 2013 23:02

Written by Dave Molinari

Final score: Penguins 4, Islanders 2.

Why it matters: The Penguins have won four games in a row, raised their record to 7-3 and earned at least one victory against every other team in the Atlantic Division.

In a nutshell: The Penguins survived seven New York power plays, and held off the Islanders after they scored twice in 35 seconds early in the third period to cut the Penguins' lead to 3-2. The Penguins then hung on until Pascal Dupuis clinched the victory by scoring into an empty net with 39 seconds left in regulation.

Turning point: Pick any of the three (and nearly four) power plays the Penguins killed during the second period, and you have a stretch that helped to decide the outcome of the game. The Penguins' penalty-killers, led by goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, did probably their best work of the season, much of it during the middle period.

Under the radar: Penguins winger Tanner Glass was one of the guys who did a terrific job killing penalties, but he also recorded a team-high three shots and traded punches with Islanders winger Matt Martin late in the first period.

The brightest star: Fleury wasn't recognized as one of the game's three stars, which is a remarkable oversight. He was on top of his game for much of the evening, moving quickly and positioning himself effectively, For much of the game, he looked like a very real threat to earn his 23rd career shutout, which would be a franchise record.

The last word: Coach Dan Bylsma, on a critical element of the Penguins' victory: "I don't think you can say enough about the penalty-kill tonight. (Fleury) stood tall in there, especially in the second."