Penguins at Islanders
Matt Murray could be in line to make his return from a nine-game absence on Tuesday when the Pittsburgh Penguins visit the Barclays Center bidding for a season sweep of the New York Islanders. The two-time Stanley Cup-winning goaltender participated in his second consecutive practice on Monday after sustaining a concussion on Feb. 26.
"He will be an option in goal (Tuesday) night. We'll see how he responds and we'll make decisions accordingly," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said of the 23-year-old Murray, who posted a 9-1-1 mark in 11 games prior to the injury. Pittsburgh has recorded a 5-3-1 mark in Murray's absence to reside within two points of first-place Washington in the Metropolitan Division. New York has dropped three straight and is 1-7-4 in its last 12 to plummet into the cellar of the Metro. "We're not getting the results and that can beat you down," said Islanders captain John Tavares, who had three assists in Sunday's 4-3 setback versus Carolina to increase his point total to nine (two goals, seven assists) in his past seven outings.
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ABOUT THE PENGUINS (41-26-5): Crosby set up a goal in Thursday's 5-3 win at Montreal to move within one of 700 for his decorated career, and points seemingly haven't been hard to accumulate versus the Islanders. The two-time Hart Trophy recipient boosted his career point total to 108 (34 goals, 74 assists) against New York with seven this season (two goals, five assists), highlighted by his tally 3:48 into overtime in a 3-2 win on March 3. "It's important to be playing the right way, if that's something that puts us in the position to win the division, it's important," Crosby told reporters of the Penguins' current path. "That being said, we want to make sure we're playing the right way and hope that earns us the first spot."
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (30-32-10): Anders Lee scored twice with the man advantage versus the Hurricanes to set career-high totals in goals (35) and power-play tallies (11) while also boosting his point total to 200 in the process. "You continue to work hard and continue to look at your game and try to improve. ... But, you want to score two when you win," said the 27-year-old Lee, who has seven points (five goals, two assists) in his past seven games. Lee collected a goal and an assist in the match against the Penguins earlier this month, a game that saw Christopher Gibson make 47 saves before Crosby's heroics.
OVERTIME
1. Pittsburgh C Evgeni Malkin has 40 points (19 goals, 21 assists) in his last 22 games.
2. New York G Jaroslav Halak owns an 0-6-2 mark in his last eight decisions.
3. Penguins G Tristan Jarry, who was in net for all three victories versus the Islanders this season, was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League on Monday.