Islanders Vs. Penguins Final Score: Pittsburgh Blanks New York 3-0

The New York Islanders hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins Tuesday night (Oct. 25, 2011) at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York.

Most of the chatter heading into tonight’s game centered around last February’s rumble between the two rivals, but for all the talk about throwing down, the Islanders sure didn’t put up much of a fight.

When all was said and done, Pittsburgh blanked New York by a score of 3-0.

The visiting team got on the board late in the first period after Pascal Dupuis (assisted by Brooks Orpik) wristed one in from 14 feet out. Richard Park (assisted by Arron Asham) followed suit just 20 seconds into the second period and Jordan Staal (assisted by Pascal Dupuis) poured a little salt on the wound in the final frame.

The Islanders, who have now lost three in a row, drop to 3-4-0 (6 points) in defeat while the Penguins improve to 7-2-2 (16 points) with the win.

It’s still early in the season, but New York needs to figure out a way to keep this team from melting — and fast. They’ll have their chance for revenge this Thursday night in Pittsburgh.

For more Islanders coverage, skate on over to our team page, or our Lighthouse Hockey blog by clicking here and here.

New York Islanders Need New Arena, Says NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman continued his support of the New York Islanders' quest for a new arena Tuesday during a radio interview with WFAN's Mike Francesa.

"I refuse to accept that this team is not going to get a new building at some point," Bettman said. "[Team owner] Charles Wang is committed to the Island, committed to the Islanders. He's devoted almost a decade of his life, tens of millions of dollars in pursuit of this and fortunately there are a few years left. They're not going to stay in the Nassau Coliseum no matter what, so we're going to need to come up with a solution somehow, somewhere." 

The Islanders currently play in Nassau Colliseum, but the team's lease ends in 2015. That leaves three years to build a new arena, and Bettman said a plan needs to be hatched soon.

"The team needs a new building and there has to be concrete plans on the horizon that's going to get it done, otherwise we're going to have a problem," Bettman said. "I don't know exactly how we're going to solve that problem, but it's inconceivable to me that the Islanders wouldn't be on Long Island because it would be malpractice for those in charge to let that happen."     

Nassau County voted against a $400 million referendum in August that would have replaced Nassau Colliseum and built a minor league baseball stadium nearby, but Bettman said the results of the vote don't necessarily mean the community is against a new hockey arena.

"I think it broke down along political lines, as these things often do," Bettman said. "Which is unfortunate."

-- For more Islanders coverage, visit our team page, or our blog Lighthouse Hockey.   

Pittsburgh Penguins At New York Islanders: Teams Say Not To Expect Fight Night, Round Two

When the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins met on Feb. 11, a historic night of fighting took place. The two teams vow Tuesday night's 7 p.m. meeting will be less physical.