Mar 10, 2013 4 min read

By John Mehno

For the Observer-Reporter

PITTSBURGH – Defeating the New York Islanders was as easy as 1-2-3 for the Pittsburgh Penguins Sunday night.

They rode a three-goal first period to an easy 6-1 victory before 18,634 at the Consol Energy Center.

Chris Kunitz got his fourth career hat trick as he and Sidney Crosby each had five points, and the Penguins extended their winning streak to five games.

The Penguins had a big game offensively despite the absence of center Evgeni Malkin, who sat out with an unspecified upper body injury sustained in Saturday’s shootout victory at Toronto. After the game, coach Dan Bylsma said Malkin will miss one to two weeks.

Crosby’s five assists raised his NHL-leading point total to 45.

“There wasn’t a ton of shots, but we made the most of our chances,” Crosby said. “(Kunitz) was great, especially around the net.”

At the start of the game, it looked like the Penguins might be in for a tough night. They returned from Toronto well after midnight, had to clear customs, and lost an hour in the transition to daylight saving time.

The Islanders put three shots on goal in the game’s first 90 seconds.

“The first three shifts weren’t where we wanted to start,” Bylsma said. “They had some good chances.”

What turned things around? A bad angle goal from Pascal Dupuis at 7:10 started the scoring. He was near the goal line and sent the puck toward the net. It hit a goal post and deflected in off goalie Evgeni Nabokov.

“That goal seemed to kind of jump-start us,” Crosby said. “We bounced back pretty quick and got momentum.”

The Islanders handed the Penguins a 5-on-3 power play chance, and Kunitz was able to camp in front of the net and push in James Neal’s pass for a 2-0 lead at 13:46.

Kunitz got another power play goal at 16:41, again set up by Neal and Crosby.

Brad Boyes scored in the second period for New York. But if the Islanders harbored any hope of comeback, it was dashed when the Penguins scored twice in 16 seconds.

Kunitz completed his hat trick at 13:34, again positioning himself close enough to shake hands with the goalie. He went to the net and was there to knock in Kris Letang’s rolling rebound.

Kunitz has staked out the spot directly in front of the net, which explains why he has 17 goals in 26 games.

“He’s not a flashy player who’s going to go end to end or try to beat players one-on-one,” Bylsma said. “It’s simple. He goes to the front of the net.”

It may be simple, but it isn’t easy. There’s always a battle for position, and there’s a physical toll to pay. But Kunitz endures so he can get loose pucks.

“Pucks are going to be there, no matter what the game is like or what the style of play is,” Crosby said. “You’re always going to have pucks around the net. It’s not an easy place to go, but if you go there, you’re going to find rebounds. (Kunitz) has been doing that, and he’s been putting them in.”

Kunitz is a low-key personality who doesn’t show a lot of outward excitement about his burgeoning goal total. He takes it in stride and credits his linemates, Crosby and Dupuis, with creating opportunities.

“It’s just good team play,” Kunitz said. “We’re having a lot of fun out there. Our power play is clicking. We’re getting a lot of goals around the net and enjoying it.”

Crosby has an eight-game scoring streak, in which he has five goals and 15 assists.

“(Kunitz) is making us all look good by putting the puck in the net,” Crosby said.

Dupuis closed out the scoring with his 11th goal.

Bylsma shook up his defensive pairings, making Deryk Engelland a healthy scratch for the first time this season. Mark Eaton worked with Kris Letang and was a team-best plus-4. Byslma said he wanted to make more logical left-right pairings and was also remembering the way Eaton and Letang played together in the past. “They know each other and complement each other well,” Bylsma said. “I think you saw that tonight.” He paired Simon Despres with Matt Niskanen, and kept the combination of Brooks Orpik and Paul Martin together. … The Penguins had a dominant game on faceoffs, going 39-19. … The Islanders goal came when Despres fell, which gave the Islanders a 2-on-1. … New York had just two shots on goal during one stretch of nearly 20 minutes over the first and second periods. … The Penguins started a streak that has them home for nine of 11 games. Boston visits Tuesday at 7:35.