Islanders outworked in loss to Penguins

The worst part wasn't even Travis Hamonic's phantom elbow that cost the Islanders one of their better defensemen at a pivotal point in the game against the Penguins.

No, worse was how the Islanders took a two-goal lead on a battered team and an elite goaltender not near his best, and didn't push for more.

The Islanders, riding a six-game points streak, took their collective feet off the gas pedal Saturday night, and the Penguins, long practiced at the art of outworking opponents when their stars aren't around, made them pay.

Hamonic was assessed a major and game misconduct at 7:35 of the second period after he pushed Brooks Orpik's own stick into Orpik's forehead, drawing blood. The call by referee Frederick L'Ecuyer appeared unjust, but the Islanders' 6-3 loss at the Coliseum, their first regulation loss in two weeks, was justified.

"It was a terrible effort," said Mark Streit, who was all sorts of awkward in his 27:20 of action, losing easy passes and getting caught flat-footed on the Penguins' first goal.

"We got up 2-0 and we thought it was going to be easy. We're not a good enough team to get away with that," echoed P.A. Parenteau, whose top line with John Tavares and Matt Moulson totaled four shots, with each man a minus-2. "We definitely got outworked."

Marc-Andre Fleury allowed three goals he'd love to have back, and he certainly could have been tested more on a night when the Penguins were missing Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, Zbynek Michalek and Jordan Staal.

David Ullstrom's wrister on the rush put the Isles on top 4:04 into the game and Milan Jurcina's slap shot went right through Fleury at 12:16.

Even after the Penguins tied it on goals by Steve Sullivan and James Neal in the final 5:32 of the first period, Fleury gave another one back on Kyle Okposo's wrister off the rush 2:54 into the second.

The Penguins took their fourth minor of the game at 6:26 of the second and the Islanders could have regained their two-goal lead. Instead, their sluggish power play turned the puck over and Jurcina took an interference call at 7:20 to prevent a breakout.

Fifteen seconds later, Hamonic went to rub Orpik out of the play. After Orpik spent a few dazed seconds on the ice, Hamonic was escorted to the runway leading to the dressing room.

"They said it was a head check . . . I made minimal contact with [Orpik] and he hits himself in the head," Hamonic said. "It's probably a play I wouldn't even get credit for a hit for."

With a five-on-three for 1:45, the Penguins tied it on Neal's second of the night. The Islanders killed off the remaining 3:51 of Hamonic's major, but Al Montoya gave up one he'd like back, a long wrist shot by Pascal Dupuis at 15:58 of the second.

Down to five defensemen and needing some jump, the Islanders allowed a quick goal to Matt Cooke at 1:04 of the third and then managed just one shot on goal in 15:52.

"It's a joke," Streit said of the Hamonic major, "but that's not the reason we lost. The reason we lost was our terrible performance."