Just when it appeared the Pittsburgh Penguins might be turning a defensive corner, some ghosts from the beginning of the season came back to haunt them once more Tuesday night. They blew a two-goal lead in the third period of a game they controlled for long stretches and lost to the New York Islanders 4-3 in a shootout at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y.

Michael Bunting got off the schneid early in the third period, firing a wrister past Ilya Sorokin thanks to a sweet pass from Jesse Puljujarvi for a 3-1 lead. It was Bunting's first goal of the season. Prior to this year, it hadn't taken Bunting more than three games to get his first goal of a season, and he scored in his first game in four of his first five years in the NHL.

But that lead was short-lived. Just two minutes later, Drew O'Connor took a penalty, and Simon Holmstrom scored a pretty backhander on the ensuing power play. Three minutes after that, after a prolonged period of the Islanders peppering Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic with shots, they knotted the game at 3 when Jean-Gabriel Pageau went top shelf through an Anders Lee screen.

Erik Karlsson created a power play 30 seconds into the overtime period when he was brought down by Kyle Palmieri while skating to the net, but the Penguins couldn't find a game winner. Then, with all the momentum on their side thanks to the penalty kill, the Islanders went on the man advantage with a tripping call on Kris Letang, but Nedeljkovic and the Penguins penalty kill stood tall.

The Penguins played a solid all-around second period and earned a 2-1 advantage because of it. Sidney Crosby put the Penguins on the board 5:27 into the period. Rickard Rakell pestered Scott Mayfield on the forecheck, and the puck made its way to Evgeni Malkin's stick. Malkin centered for the Penguins captain, who backhanded a laser past Sorokin for his 598th career goal. The Islanders challenged the play, contending Noel Acciari took too long to get off the ice on a line change, but after a lengthy review and some choice words from New York coach Patrick Roy, the goal stood.

After a slow start to the season in which he only scored one goal in the first 10 games, Crosby continued his torrid stretch Tuesday. In the last four games, the captain has five goals and three assists.

The Islanders knotted the game at 1 seven minutes later, as Nedeljkovic couldn't locate a skyborne puck and Palmieri jammed it home for his team-leading sixth tally of the season. The Penguins retook their lead shortly after, though, as Malkin's one-time power play slap shot found Sorokin's five hole for a 2-1 advantage.

The Islanders got one more excellent chance in the second, as Holmstrom deked around Nedeljkovic, but the puck rolled off his stick and he couldn't tuck it home.

The Penguins dominated the final 10 minutes of the opening period after a sleepy start, outshooting New York 12-7 in the first. It took nearly 10 minutes for the Penguins to get their first good look at the Islanders net, as an O'Connor redirect from a Lars Eller shot-pass found Sorokin's glove. O'Connor had four shots in the first.

Even though the Penguins defense stood firm in the first, Nedeljkovic had to be sharp early. The Islanders started the game on the front foot. Ryan Graves took a tripping penalty 2:31 into the contest, and Nedeljkovic was called into action with saves on Mayfield and Pageau. Nedeljkovic made his most important stop of the period last, as Maxim Tsyplakov skated in on a breakaway with 30 seconds left but made one too many moves before the Penguins goalie shut it down.

Bo Horvat scored the only goal of the shootout with a backhand snuck under Nedeljkovic's pads. Sorokin made saves on Rakell, Crosby and Letang to win it.

Ice chips

— Puljujarvi slotted back into the lineup Tuesday following two games as a healthy scratch after coach Mike Sullivan said there were defensive and off-the-puck details he needed to shore up. Puljujarvi skated on Acciari's right wing on the third line.

— Cody Glass moved up to the second line in his 200th career game, skating on Eller's right wing. Valtteri Puustinen and Ryan Shea were the healthy scratches.

— Matt Nieto, celebrating his 32nd birthday, was a full participant in the morning skate Tuesday but didn't play. Nieto is still working his way back from reconstructive MCL surgery.

— The Islanders, who entered Tuesday's game with the second-fewest goals per game (2.25) in the NHL, are dealing with a litany of injuries. Defenseman Adam Pelech and forwards Anthony Duclair and Mathew Barzal are on injured reserve, and defensemen Mike Reilly and Alexander Romanov also weren't in the lineup Tuesday. Because of those injury issues, 20-year-old blue-liner Isaiah George made his NHL debut.

—The Islanders entered the game with the fourth-worst power play (12.5%) and second-worst penalty kill (65.2%). The Penguins went 1 for 4 on both the power play and penalty kill.

Stat n'at

87 — Tuesday's tally was Crosby's 87th regular season goal with his signature backhand, according to Penguins historian Bob Grove.

Coming up

The Penguins head south for the second game of their current three-game road trip for a matchup with Carolina on Thursday. The Hurricanes thoroughly dominated the Penguins 4-1 in the two teams' first meeting of the season on Oct. 18.

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