The Penguins went into the holiday break on a 9-3-1 run and returned feeling refreshed after a few days away and ready to keep their momentum rolling. Instead, it came to a halt on Saturday against the Islanders,

Nobody said it outright in the lead up to the first of a back-to-back, home-and-home matchup with the Penguins on Saturday, but winning this set of games — or at least avoiding a sweep — was as essential a task as the Islanders have faced all season.

The Islanders’ dogged work for the opening 10 minutes of the second period helped make good on Roy’s promise on Saturday night. They scored three goals during that stretch — those goals the result of won battles, races, and every inch of contested ice — to fuel a 6-3 win over the Penguins at USB Arena in Elmont, N.Y.