Penguins at Islanders
The New York Islanders can earn a share of the Metropolitan Division lead with a regulation win when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday to close a home-and-home series. Pittsburgh has been the best road team in the league with a 7-1-1 away record to start the season. New York defeated the Penguins 5-4 in a shootout at Pittsburgh on Friday and the Islanders enter a three-game homestand with seven wins in their last eight contests.
Pittsburgh’s defense looked very vulnerable in Friday’s shootout loss, with Robert Bortuzzo leaving Ryan Strome alone in front of the net for a deflection goal and Nikolay Kulemin burning both Rob Scuderi and Kris Letang for his tally. Despite these lapses, the Penguins are among the leaders in fewest goals allowed, while New York is second in the division behind Pittsburgh with 64 tallies. The Islanders had the lone man-advantage Friday - an unusual occurrence for teams with a recent history of physical incidents against one another.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, City, ROOT (Pittsburgh), MSG Plus (New York)
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (13-3-2): Backup goaltender Thomas Greiss will start Saturday’s contest after Marc-Andre Fleury made 31 saves Friday. Defenseman Simon Despres was a healthy scratch Friday as Bortuzzo took his place in the lineup. Blake Comeau scored in his first game replacing Pascal Dupuis on Pittsburgh’s top line.
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (13-6-0): Jaroslav Halak should be back in net Saturday after Chad Johnson started Friday. Michael Grabner traveled to Pittsburgh with the team but did not play Friday as he recovers from surgery to repair a sports hernia. Strome recorded his first career three-point game Friday with a goal and two assists and has 15 points in 19 games in his second season.
OVERTIME
1. Crosby has 85 points in 47 career meetings with the Islanders but was held off the scoresheet Friday.
2. Islanders F Matt Martin scored his first goal since April 1 on Friday. Martin has 25 goals and 471 penalty minutes in 299 career games.
3. The Penguins and the Islanders are even in their season series at one victory apiece and are scheduled to meet twice more after Saturday.