NHL PLAYOFFS : Islanders Push Penguins to Limit With 7-5 Victory

Steve Thomas scored two goals and had two assists as the surprising New York Islanders defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins, 7-5, Wednesday night at Uniondale, N.Y., to force a seventh game in the Patrick Division finals.

Playing an up-tempo game against one of the NHL’s most explosive teams, the Islanders sent the best-of-seven series back to Pittsburgh for the deciding game on Friday night.

The Islanders were decided underdogs in the series, but they have matched the defending Stanley Cup champions blow-for-blow without leading scorer Pierre Turgeon, who was injured during a first-round series against the Washington Capitals.

“I’m sure they feel a lot of pressure,” Thomas said. “We’re just a bunch of guys with a lot of heart and courage, and I know we can beat this team.”

The third-place Islanders, even though they won three of seven games against Pittsburgh during the regular season, finished 32 points behind the division-winning Penguins, who had the NHL’s best record.

“We respect them, but we don’t over-respect them,” Islander goaltender Glenn Healy said of the Penguins. “Hard work sometimes outdoes talent.”

The Penguins, 17-0-1 to close the regular season, have lost four of 11 playoff games, including two of the last three.

Thomas had a goal in the second and third periods, including the clincher after he set up the go-ahead goal by Brian Mullen at 5:42.

The Islanders scored first for the first time in the series and only the fourth time in 12 playoff games when Brad Dalgarno put in the rebound of Darius Kasparaitis’ shot 25 seconds into the game.

“The Islanders played well,” said Pittsburgh center Ron Francis, who was ejected early in the second period because of a high-sticking penalty. “We wanted to play a strong game in here, but we made a lot of mistakes and that cost us.”