Guerin, Isles Slow Crosby-Less Penguins

[March 25, 2008]  UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) -- Bill Guerin had a goal and assist in the decisive second period for the also-ran New York Islanders, who prevented the Pittsburgh Penguins from clinching a playoff spot Monday night with a 4-1 victory.

Pittsburgh holds a two-point lead over New Jersey in the race for the Atlantic Division crown, but missed a chance to double its advantage heading into a road meeting with the Devils on Tuesday.

Penguins captain Sidney Crosby sat out his sixth straight game and 27th in 30 because of a sprained right ankle, but is close to returning -- perhaps on Tuesday. Pittsburgh is 15-8-4 without him, but had gone 4-1 with 27 goals in the first five games of his latest absence.

Richard Park, Sean Bergenheim and Trent Hunter also scored for the Islanders, and Wade Dubielewicz stopped 28 shots. New York snapped a five-game losing streak at home.

One day after their 4-1 loss at Philadelphia eliminated them from postseason contention, the Islanders put a crimp in the Penguins' playoff plans in a classic trap game.

Sandwiched between a pair against New Jersey, the Penguins didn't respond to the challenge of taking care of a team that had nothing to play for. Pittsburgh came off a 7-1 home victory over the Devils on Saturday, but fell to 4-3 this season against the Islanders.

Petr Sykora had the lone goal for the Penguins, who started Ty Conklin in goal over Marc-Andre Fleury. Conklin got his second start in five games because of the back-to-back contests and for his career-best, 50-save effort in a 4-2 win over the Islanders on Feb. 26.

He finished with 32 saves.

New York, which had lost seven of eight, took control in the second period, scoring twice and outshooting the Penguins 14-3 after the teams recorded 12 shots each in the first.

Guerin drilled a shot off the post behind Conklin about 8 minutes into the period when the game was tied 1-1. He refined his aim with 8:15 left, wristing in a shot -- another that clanged off the post.

The lead grew to 3-1 just 3:08 later when Conklin left a rebound off another shot by Guerin that was put in by Bergenheim at the left post.

Park gave the Islanders a short-lived 1-0 lead 3:22 into the game, scoring his first goal in 28 games and New York's ninth short-handed tally. Kyle Okposo got the puck away from defenseman Sergei Gonchar at the right point, and found Park with a pass. Park wound up above the right circle and ripped a shot past Conklin.

Okposo, the Islanders' top prospect, has a goal and two assists in his first four NHL games.

Sykora tied it 36 seconds later, before Jeremy Colliton's high-sticking penalty expired. Sykora beat Dubielewicz with a drive from the bottom part of the right circle for his seventh goal in seven games and 28th overall.

Notes: Penguins RW Pascal Dupuis, acquired from Atlanta on Feb. 26, the date of Pittsburgh's previous visit to Long Island, missed the game to be with his wife who gave birth to daughter Zoe on Monday morning. D Rob Scuderi, who broke a finger in that game against the Islanders, returned to the lineup after an 11-game absence. ... C Mike Comrie, one of three Islanders to play in New York's first 76 games, sat out with the flu.

[Associated Press; By IRA PODELL]

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