The New York Islanders have their backs against the wall in tonight’s home game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
- New York Islanders (7-10-4)
- Pittsburgh Penguins (13-6-3)
- Barclays Center; Brooklyn, NY
- NBCSN, TVAS, WRHU, 8pm EST
Last season, the Penguins beat the Islanders in all but one meeting, a 2-1 win for New York – the game where Jaroslav Halak tore his groin and was out for the remainder of the season.
In their last 10 games, the Penguins are 5-4-1, while the Islanders are 3-4-3. By no means is either team coming in hot for this matchup, although both are coming off wins.
Thomas Greiss will be in the net for the Islanders tonight. Greiss is starting his third consecutive game, with JF Berube backing him up once again. Ryan Strome also returns to the lineup tonight, replacing Alan Quine.
Scott Mayfield comes in for Adam Pelech, who took a bit of a bruising Monday night, but coach Jack Capuano reassured fans it wasn’t much of a concern. Consider it one of Cappy’s “maintenance days” for Pelech.
The Islanders find themselves seven points away from the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, so if they want to make a push towards relevancy, winning the next two games is integral. Beating the Penguins and the Washington Capitals in back to back scenarios is absolutely not an easy task. It is doable, however, and even taking three of the next four points would leave the Islanders in good shape.