PITTSBURGH — If Friday against the Penguins was the Islanders’ best win of the season, then this one was their most emotional — a night in which they might just have proved something to themselves more so than anyone else. 

Monday started for the Islanders with the news that Mathew Barzal would be out for the foreseeable future, with the star forward being described as week-to-week. It ended with a second third-period comeback against the Penguins in four days, a gutsy and gritty 4-2 victory at PPG Paints Arena. 

“It’s one of those moments where you feel as if news breaks and, potentially, it’s easy to write off the team. But I thought tonight showed a lot about us,” Zach Parise said amid a giddy postgame locker room. “We played our asses off and got a much-needed win.” 

The Islanders have now jumped in the Eastern Conference standings. As things stand, they occupy the first wild-card position with 65 points over the Panthers (64 points) and Penguins (63 points). The Capitals, Sabres and Red Wings remain hot on their heels. 

After a chaotically physical end to a second period, the Isles proved in the third that they will not lay down for anybody. 

Hudson Fasching leapt up at the blue line to keep the puck in the Islanders’ zone, and Bo Horvat notched the tying goal at 8:34 of the third period, beating a rusty Tristan Jarry with a tight-angle shot that trickled through his pads. 

Less than two minutes later, Anders Lee scored from the side of the net just after Jarry found himself out of position following his own turnover to make it 3-2, and for the first time all night, the Islanders had a lead to defend. 

And defend it they did, bearing down in their own zone and getting all the help they needed from Ilya Sorokin, who finished with 44 saves. Brock Nelson’s empty-net goal sealed it. 

“I don’t have any words for him,” Horvat said of Sorokin. “He’s a pretty sensational goaltender.” 

“Towards the end, I thought it was all-out commitment,” coach Lane Lambert said. 

Without Barzal, the Islanders struggled at times to sustain offense, and the same breakout issues showed up again particularly early in the game. But to their credit, the Islanders found a way against a motivated Penguins team that is also fighting for its life. 

Jake Guentzel got the Penguins on the board 6:12 into the game, taking advantage of a missed backcheck by Simon Holmstrom along with poor gap control to finish off a free look from Sidney Crosby’s backhand feed. From there, it looked as though Pittsburgh might romp, controlling play for much of the early going. It was only Nelson’s rush goal 5:19 into the second that let the Islanders start to find a rhythm. 

Jason Zucker’s power-play goal off Jeff Petry’s rebound put the Penguins back ahead at 12:26 of the second, but the game had another twist to go before entering the second intermission. 

With about three minutes to go in the period, Sorokin made perhaps his best save of the season, batting Kris Letang’s shot into a seemingly open net out of the air with his paddle. 

Seconds later, the teams were gathered in the corner as Pittsburgh’s umbrage at the Islanders’ hits on Crosby and Evgeni Malkin spilled into an extended shoving and shouting match. Eight different players were assessed penalties, with Ross Johnston and Zucker both receiving 10-minute misconducts. 

That was the Islanders’ chance to get some momentum, and they took it. 

“I didn’t mind the scrum,” Lambert said. “I thought that got us going as well.” 

Sorokin, who made another massive stop at the start of the third, stoning Teddy Blueger, who was in alone on a breakaway, earned his third victory over the Penguins in as many starts. 

“That one was huge,” Parise said. “The one on Blueger, could have made it 3-1. He shut it down and man, from then on it was, we slowly, slowly started to take over. It was great.” 

What this game will be remembered for, though, is the immediate morale boost after devastating injury news. The overriding math equation still isn’t good for the Islanders, and it will take something unexpected to come back and make the playoffs after Barzal’s injury. 

But don’t tell that to anyone in their dressing room. 

“I think we believe in each other,” Lambert said. “But certainly it’s a rewarding win at this stage.”