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UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) -- Mario Lemieux is playing like a Hall of
Famer and thinking like an NHL owner.
Lemieux played his third road game Saturday and scored twice in
front of a rare sellout crowd at Nassau Coliseum. It wasn't enough,
as the home fans were treated to a 6-5 New York victory over the
Pittsburgh Penguins on a night when the Islanders' glory days were
remembered.
|  | | Mario Lemieux now has nine goals in eight games since his return to the Penguins. |
"It was great," Lemieux said. "I like to see this building
sold out. With a big win for them, it might bring the people
back."
Mariusz Czerkawski had two goals and an assist as the Islanders
snapped a seven-game losing streak and honored former general
manager Bill Torrey, the architect of their Stanley Cup
championship teams in the 1980s.
"We knew that tonight would be a very emotional game for us,"
said Islanders coach Butch Goring, a star on all four Cup winners
from 1980-83. "I said to them that there was no way we were
leaving this building with a losing streak."
Lemieux had his second two-goal game since ending his 3½-year
retirement. Both two-goal games came in the second of back-to-back
contests. Opposing teams are taking the body more on Lemieux and
are not overwhelmed by being on the ice with him.
"They weren't awestruck my first 12 years, they aren't going to
be awestruck now," he said.
Czerkawski gave the Islanders a first-period lead and then
registered his other two points in the second in front of just the
Islanders' third home sellout this season. He had a hat trick until
a postgame scoring change left him with just two goals.
"It doesn't matter if I get three goals or two goals, as long
as we win," he said.
Lemieux, who has nine goals and 10 assists since resuming his
career last month, scored twice Tuesday night in a loss at Boston,
when Bruins forward Andrei Kovalenko had three third-period goals.
New York became the first team this season to keep Lemieux from
a multipoint game when they held him to one goal in a 4-3 loss
Friday at Pittsburgh. He answered goals by Czerkawski in the first
period and again in the second to twice lift the Penguins into a
tie.
Lemieux's goals came against John Vanbiesbrouck, who has allowed
32 by the Hall of Famer -- more than any other goalie. Wade Flaherty
was New York's goalie in Friday's game at Pittsburgh.
"He's a good goalie," Lemieux said of Vanbiesbrouck. "I've
just faced him so many times."
The Penguins are 5-3 with Lemieux in the lineup -- 1-2 on the
road -- but 1-4-3 in their last eight games against sub-.500 teams.
"There's not a bad team in this league," Penguins coach Ivan
Hlinka said.
Bill Muckalt snapped a 3-3 tie in the second period with a
breakaway goal for the Islanders (12-26-4-2), who have a league-low
30 points. It was only the second victory for the Islanders in 12
games.
"It was a playoff game for us," Vanbiesbrouck said. "We did
everything we had to do."
Garry Galley made it 5-3 at 6:49 of the third on one of New
York's nine power plays.
Tim Connolly had a three-game goal-scoring streak snapped, but
delivered a career-high four assists.
"The guys I gave the puck to were just burying everything,"
Connolly said. "Butch told us we were not going to Colorado
without a win."
Pittsburgh's Martin Straka had a short-handed goal and a
power-play score. Mark Parrish restored New York's two-goal lead
with 9:52 left and Jaromir Jagr made it 6-5 with a power-play goal
at 17:14 of the third.
Czerkawski made it 1-0 at 7:59 of the first with a back-hander
past Jean-Sebastien Aubin, who fell to 2-1 since returning from a
14-game absence because of knee surgery.
Lemieux tied it at 12:28 when he scored on a cross-ice feed from
Jagr.
Czerkawski gave New York a 2-1 advantage 1:24 into the second,
but Lemieux knotted it again a minute later, when he converted a
rebound that hit off the end boards for his 15th goal of the
season. Straka gave Pittsburgh a 3-2 lead while teammate Alexei
Kovalev was in the penalty box at 6:50, before Dave Scatchard tied
it on the power play at 16:00.
Pittsburgh, which outshot New York 33-30, was 2-for-9 on the
power play and failed to score during a five-minute advantage in
the second.
"Some nights it's going to be tough for us on the road," Jagr
said. "It's playoff hockey for us on the road."
Game notes
Penguins D Marc Bergevin, who spent 1½ seasons with the
Islanders as part of a 17-year career, played in his 1,000th game.
... LW Craig Berube, acquired from Washington on Thursday, made his
Islanders debut and took a major penalty for boarding Josef Beranek
in the second period. ... Czerkawski had New York's last hat trick,
on April 9, 2000.
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ALSO SEE
NHL Scoreboard
Pittsburgh Clubhouse
NY Islanders Clubhouse
RECAPS
Boston 4
NY Rangers 1
Montreal 5
Phoenix 2
Toronto 4
New Jersey 4
NY Islanders 6
Pittsburgh 5
Washington 4
Atlanta 1
Philadelphia 4
Florida 1
St. Louis 4
Los Angeles 2
Ottawa 5
Calgary 2
Nashville 5
San Jose 3
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Mario Lemieux picks up the loose puck and finds the back of the net for a Penguins' goal.
avi: 873 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Mariusz Czerkawski beats Jean-Sebastien Aubin for his second goal of the game.
avi: 692 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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