Drafts consensus second-best blueliner

UNIONDALE, N. NMD China .Y. -- Sidney Crosby went through a cluster of New York Islanders like they werent even there. With the puck on his stick in overtime, all he saw was the net. And then he hit it. Crosby, who scored the tying goal in the third period, netted the winner with a brilliant individual effort 3:44 into overtime as the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the New York Islanders 3-2 on Tuesday night. He stole the puck from Thomas Vanek just outside the New York blue line, streaked down the middle between two defenceman and jammed a backhander past Anders Nilsson for his 15th goal. "The puck just came to me, and I found a way," Crosby said. "I had some time to wind up and get some speed. It was a good situation. "I didnt notice how many guys were hanging on me. I just went for the net." Simple enough for Sid the Kid, who had made it 2-all with 12:00 left in regulation by firing in a one-timer from the right circle off a pass from Evgeni Malkin. Nilsson was the hard-luck loser in overtime for the second straight game. New York, which has dropped seven straight (0-5-2), gave up the lead late to Washington on Saturday and was beaten in overtime on a goal by Alex Ovechkin. "Every goal you let in is frustrating," said Nilsson, who made 31 saves in his seventh NHL game. "I thought I should have had the winner from Ovi and I should have the winner tonight." Malkin assisted on power-play goals by James Neal and Crosby to back Marc-Andre Fleury, who made 21 saves. His best stop came on Frans Nielsens penalty shot in the third when New York led 2-1. If a standard penalty was called instead of a penalty shot, it would have wiped out the rest of the Penguins power play that produced the tying goal. "That definitely might have changed things," Crosby said. Kyle Okposo scored twice in the first period for the Islanders, who are third from the bottom in the East. Despite the gap in the standings, the Islanders play the Penguins much tighter on the ice. The teams have split two games in Pittsburgh this season, following the Penguins six-game, first-round playoff triumph over New York last spring. "The rivalry is real," Fleury said. "They play us close and really make us work. They are a good team against us just about every time we play them." The Penguins (19-9-1) moved one point ahead of idle Boston atop the Eastern Conference with their fourth straight win, and completed a 3-0 road trip. Pittsburghs potent power play, ranked No. 1 in the NHL, got the Penguins back in the game. Neal connected in the final seconds of the second period, and Crosby tied it in the third. Nilsson held off the Penguins long enough for New York to salvage a point in the standings. John Tavares assisted on both of Okposos goals. "I thought we played very well," Islanders coach Jack Capuano said. "We really needed that third one and didnt get it. Its very hard for us to win with two goals. "It came down to special teams again. My frustration is the same as what the players are feeling because weve all been there." Okposo hadnt scored in eight games but he broke out with two during a 4:35 span of the first and nearly netted a third before the intermission. He backhanded a shot from the bottom of the left circle into the crease. The puck and Tavares, along with Crosby and Kris Letang of the Penguins all arrived on Fleurys doorstep at the same time. It found its way in off of Letang to make it 1-0 with 7:05 left. Okposo got even more help on his second goal, which was his eighth of the season. He wound up from above the right circle and ripped a drive that struck Fleury and then squeezed under his left arm before trickling behind him with 2:30 to go. Pittsburgh had a chance to cut into its deficit late in the frame when Vanek and Aaron Ness took penalties 1:17 apart, giving the Penguins a two-man advantage that lasted the final 37.3 seconds of the first period and 5 seconds of the second. What Pittsburgh couldnt do in the first, it did in the second when Neal notched a power-play goal with 15.6 seconds left off a feed in front from Malkin, who extended his point and assist streaks to nine games. He has 15 assists and 19 points during the run, earning star of the week and month honours in the NHL. Neal scored his ninth goal of the season and seventh in six games to make it 2-1. He has 17 points (9 goals, 8 assists) in the last 13 games. NOTES: Malkin had league-best 25 points and 21 assists in November, the most assists in a month since Wayne Gretzky also had 21 in January 1996. ... The Islanders hadnt scored first in seven games and hadnt held a two-goal lead since a 3-2 loss to Los Angeles on Nov. 14. NMD For Sale . Make the extra pass, take care of the ball, play defence and get more out of his bench. NMD Wholesale . Case in point: LeBron James vs. Ben McLemore. James was driving to the rim in the first quarter and McLemore decided to try to take the charge, which was quite admirable and predictably futile. https://www.cheapnmdoutlet.com/ . - Aaron Rodgers makes tough throws that can leave fans of the Green Bay Packers speechless.With the NHL Draft coming up on June 27 and free agency opening on July 1, discussions between NHL general managers are heating up towards a busy off-season. Each day, TSN.ca provides the latest rumours, reports and speculation from around the NHL beat. Going D-eep Ordinarily, one would assume the Edmonton Oilers were once again in prime position to improve their future, holding the third overall pick in Fridays NHL Draft. Trading down, however, might be the best course of action for the Oil - according to The Hockey News Matt Larkin. Larkin suggests that with the Florida Panthers likely to make Aaron Ekblad the first-overall pick on Friday, Edmonton would be better served to trade down from the No. 3 to acquire "an established asset" and scoop the Drafts consensus second-best blueliner, Red Deers Haydn Fleury. The Oilers have long needed to bolster their blue line and started that process by taking Darnell Nurse seventh overall last June. Larkin floats the hypothetical idea of the Oilers looking to deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs, possibly getting a young defender like Jake Gardiner along with the eighth overall selection in exchange for the third overall pick. The scenario would offer the Leafs a crack at a top-end forward like one of Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett or Leon Draisaitl while allowing the Oilers to have a realistic shot at Fleury. Wait and C? From the sounds of it, the Montreal Canadiens may not be searching for a new captain come July 1? ESPN The Magazines Craig Custtance tweeted Saturday morning that Habs captain Brian Gionta will be meeting with his agent to discuss his future options. NMD On Sale. According to Giontas agent Steve Bartlett, Gionta has "no strong inclination to leave" Montreal. A pending unrestricted free agent, Gionta is coming off a five year deal that paid him $5 million per season. The 35-year-old American scored 18 goals and 22 assists in 81 games last season. Foreign Markets Teams may look beyond North American shores on July 1 to scoop up additions for the 2014-15 season. In another tweet, Custance mentioned a couple intriguing options could be returning to the NHL, namely Kontinental Hockey League forward Leo Komarov and former first-round pick Peter Mueller. Custance mentioned that Komarov is still talking to his former team, the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs hold Komarovs NHL rights until July 1 since he opted to return to the KHL for 2013-14 while still eligible for restricted free agency in the NHL. The Finn has spent parts of each of the last five seasons with Moscow Dynamo, including a brief stint during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season. Komarov was a popular grinder and depth forward for the 2012-13 Leafs team that became the first to make the playoffs since 2003-04. Mueller, meanwhile, led the Swiss League in goals in 2013-14. He scored 24 in 49 games with Kloten. The eighth overall selection by the Phoenix Coyotes in 2006, Muellers NHL career-high was 22 goals in his 2007-08 rookie season. ' ' '