Playoffs - Sat, 11 May - Results

Pittsburgh v NY Islanders 4-3 - Game 6 - The Pittsburgh Penguins are built to win the Stanley Cup. They took another step toward their goal Saturday night. Brooks Orpik scored 7:49 into overtime to give the Penguins a series-clinching 4-3 win against the New York Islanders in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Orpik's slap shot from just inside the blue line was the defenseman's first goal in 106 games. Evgeni Malkin gathered the puck behind the Islanders net and passed to Tyler Kennedy near the goal line. Kennedy fed Orpik at the left point and his long shot beat goalie Evgeni Nabokov. Top-seeded Pittsburgh trailed by one goal three times before finally getting past eighth-seeded New York. The Penguins are certainly relieved to be headed to the second round for the first time since 2010. Penguins goaltender Tomas Vokoun, who was inserted into this series to start Game 5 instead of struggling Marc-Andre Fleury, made 35 saves for his second straight victory. The Penguins advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals, where they will face the Ottawa Senators. New York was competing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2007. Although the Islanders didn't get the result they were hoping for, there's a feeling the franchise is turning the corner. After years of being a draft-lottery team, the Islanders nearly took the top-seeded Penguins the distance. Michael Grabner gave the Islanders their third lead 2:21 into the third period. With the teams at even strength, New York's Keith Aucoin intercepted Kris Letang's clearing attempt and sent a cross-ice feed to Grabner, who one-timed it from the right circle past Vokoun to make it 3-2. But, again, Pittsburgh was able to respond, thanks to a brilliant play by Malkin. The center carried the puck into the zone against four defenders before sending a pass from behind the net to the point for Paul Martin, whose slap shot went off Islanders center Frans Nielsen past Nabokov to make it 3-3 with 5:16 left in regulation. Islanders forward John Tavares scored first 5:36 into the game, his third goal of the series. With his team controlling the play down low, Tavares took a nice backhand feed from along the wall by Josh Bailey and ripped a wrister from the slot past Vokoun for a 1-0 lead. Iginla tied the game, 1-1, at 7:39 of the first. Crosby took a pass from Martin and blew past defenseman Brian Strait, but Nabokov was able to deny Crosby's backhand opportunity. Iginla saw the loose puck in the crease and quickly swatted it home for his second goal of the playoffs. It marked the fifth time in the series that the Penguins scored less than two-and-a-half minutes after an Islanders goal. Colin McDonald regained New York's lead prior to the end of the first period with his second goal of the series with 37 seconds remaining. Following some strong work by Grabner behind the net against Martin, the puck squirted to Aucoin, who quickly sent a feed across the crease to McDonald, where he tapped it past Vokoun. The Penguins tied it 2-2 with 9:01 remaining in the second period on Dupuis' fifth goal of the series. Joe Vitale raced into the Islanders' zone and snuck a feed past Strait that Dupuis quickly poked past Nabokov. New York outshot Pittsburgh 16-6 in the second period and held a 28-13 edge after 40 minutes. The Islanders left the Nassau Coliseum ice to a thunderous ovation from the crowd of 16,170. A fan base that was desperate for good times again had plenty to cheer about in 2012-13.