Islanders, Penguins battle — literally
Islanders forward Arnaud Durandeau during Prospect Development Camp at Northwell Health Ice Center on Sept. 14, 2022. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
It really started at the end of the teams’ last matchup on Friday.
The raw feelings between the longtime rival Islanders and Penguins erupted at 17:15 of the second period on Monday night in the Islanders’ 4-2 win at PPG Paints Arena. Defenseman Sebastian Aho brought down Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, and it evolved into all players on the ice squaring off behind the Islanders’ crease.
It resulted in a combined 44 penalty minutes, including double minors and 10-minute misconducts to the Islanders’ Ross Johnston and the Penguins’ Jason Zucker. Those two animatedly screamed at each other on the ice and continued to do so in the penalty boxes.
“Those things happen during a game, so it’s all part of it,” Johnston said. “I’m not saying it was just that [in the win]. It was a little bit of emotion. That was a situation where we banded and stuck together, and that’s all that matters.”
“It’s awesome,” Zach Parise said. “I thought those guys did a great job in that scrum.”
Durandeau’s debut
Arnaud Durandeau, 24, logged 14:09 of ice time with four shots in his long-awaited NHL debut. With Mathew Barzal out week-to-week with a lower-body injury, he was brought up on emergency recall Sunday after spending three-plus seasons with the Islanders’ AHL affiliate in Bridgeport.
“It was exciting. I was super- nervous at the start,” Durandeau said. “The first period went well and the rest of the game just came as well. Excited to get the win.”
Coach Lane Lambert started Durandeau on Casey Cizikas’ left wing along with Hudson Fasching on the right side, although the lines got mixed and matched as the game progressed.
“I thought he was good,’’ Lambert said. “I liked his speed. He has a tendency for the puck to follow him around. It gets on his stick. Not by accident. He seems to be in the right spots.”
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
