Penguins at Islanders
The two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins look to recover from another staggering performance when they visit the struggling New York Islanders on Friday. Pittsburgh could not build on Tuesday's impressive win at Philadelphia as it managed just 21 shots in Thursday’s 4-0 loss to Carolina - its eighth setback in 12 games.
“We know what the situation is," Penguins captain Sidney Crosby told the Pittsburgh Gazette after Thursday's defeat. "It’s a team we’re fighting against in the standings, so these points are important. It’s a divisional game. It’s not good enough.” The Penguins will have to be better offensively against the Islanders, who are among the league leaders in scoring and were productive Thursday despite suffering a 6-4 setback at Philadelphia that extended their losing streak to a season-high four games. New York has surrendered 50 tallies over its last 11 contests (3-7-1) and is last in the league in goals allowed thanks in part to its struggles in net and having two of its top six defensemen out of the lineup. Captain John Tavares recorded his 22nd goal of the season Thursday and is tied for the team lead in points with Josh Bailey (50), who has been kept off the scoresheet in each of his last two contests after an 11-game point streak.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Sportsnet, TVA, AT&T SportsNet-Pittsburgh, MSG Plus (New York)
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (20-19-3): Crosby was held without a shot Thursday and has gone eight games without a goal while adding just three assists in that span to remain third on the team with 36 points. Phil Kessel registered five of his team-leading 44 points in the previous four games while Evgeni Malkin notched six of his 38 in the previous four contests. Defenseman Brian Dumoulin is day-to-day after suffering a concussion in Tuesday’s contest while Carter Rowney (upper body) also missed Thursday’s game.
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (20-17-4): Cal Clutterbuck snapped his 18-game drought with a pair of goals in Thursday’s loss and defenseman Ryan Pulock also tallied for New York, which scored twice in the third period to pull within 5-4. Anders Lee, who leads the team with 24 goals, has been held without a point in three consecutive contests and has posted a minus-5 rating in that span. Rookie center Mathew Barzal snapped his three-game point drought and defenseman Nick Leddy ended his string of four games without hitting the scoresheet with assists at Philadelphia.
OVERTIME
1. The Penguins defeated the Islanders 4-3 in overtime on Dec. 7 and are 5-1-1 in the last seven meetings.
2. New York D Johnny Boychuk (lower body), who owns a plus-2 rating in 34 games, is close to returning after missing four straight contests.
3. Pittsburgh D Kris Letang did not register a shot on Thursday and has recorded just one of his 25 points in the last eight games.