Rookie John Tavares’ goal with 6:12 left lifts Islanders to a 3-2 win over Penguins

Tavares’ late goal lifts Isles over Penguins 3-2

UNIONDALE, N.Y. — John Tavares scored on a rebound with 6:12 left in the third period to lift the New York Islanders to a rare come-from-behind 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday.

Josh Bailey and Sean Bergenheim added goals and Dwayne Roloson made 19 saves as New York scored two goals in the final period for its second win in three games.

Evgeni Malkin and Matt Cooke scored for Pittsburgh and Brent Johnson made 34 saves.

The Islanders killed off five power play chances in snapping Pittsburgh’s three-game winning streak. Roloson now has 77 saves in the last two games after stopping a regular season franchise-record 58 shots against Toronto.

New York entered the game 0-7-3 when trailing after two periods. But Bergenheim and Tavares each scored in the final period to end the streak. Two days after mustering one third-period shot in a loss to Philadelphia, the Islanders had 18 third-period shots in outshooting the Penguins 38-21 for the game.

Tavares’ first goal in five games came off a good bounce after Johnson stopped Freddy Meyers’ point shot. The first-overall pick in the draft was left open right outside the crease and buried the rebound chance.

Mark Streit helped generate New York’s first goal with a spin move at the left point before firing a hard shot. Johnson made the initial pad save before an open Bailey slammed home the rebound 9:05 in.

Malkin scored almost seven minutes later when he moved past Bailey and fired a sweeping backhand from the low right circle with 2:38 left in the period. Roloson skated deep in his net to cut off the angle but Malkin’s shot still squeezed in for his seventh goal.

Pittsburgh took the lead 7:12 into the second off Cooke’s rebound goal. Roloson made a right pad save on Jordan Staal’s top-of-the-circle wrist shot before Cooke skated past Streit and tapped-in the second chance for his fifth goal.

Bergenheim’s left circle wrist shot beat Johnson on the glove-side to tie it 2-all at 2 1:24 into the third before Tavares’ first career game-winning goal.

A struggling Pittsburgh power play unit prevented the Penguins from extending a 2-1 lead late in the second period. The Islanders killed off a 55-second, 5-on-3 chance after Andy Sutton was called for a high-sticking double-minor at 14:24. New York allowed just three shots total during the nearly five-minute short-handed stretch.

Pittsburgh’s power play unit has converted just 4 of 55 chances over the last 14 games.

Notes: Holiday cheer didn’t extend much beyond the opening faceoff as Tim Jackman and Deryk Engelland fought near center-ice 13 seconds in … The Islanders wore white jerseys at home for the first time this season while Pittsburgh wore its alternate blue uniforms … Pittsburgh’s Tyler Kennedy (groin) and defenseman Kris Letang (shoulder) practiced Thursday but did not play … After being scratched Nov. 13 for the first time in his NHL career, Bailey has four goals in his past five games.