Game Preview: Pittsburgh Penguins @ New York Islanders

Game Time: 7:00pm/ET

From: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum , Uniondale, NY
Penguins Record: 7-4-2 (7th in Eastern Conference)
Islanders Record: 4-8-1 (15th in Eastern Conference)
Last Meeting: March 27th, 2008 @ Pittsburgh (3-1 Pens)
[Boxscore  ] [Video  ]

More after the jump






PENGUINS LINES:
Max Talbot - Sidney Crosby* - Miroslav Satan
Pascal Dupuis - Evgeni Malkin - Petr Sykora
Tyler Kennedy - Jordan Staal - Matt Cooke
Ruslan Fedotenko - Mike Zigomanis - Eric Godard


Brooks Opik - Kris Letang
Rob Scuderi - Hal Gill
Darryl Sydor - Alex Goligoski


PENGUINS PROBABLE GOALTENDER:
Marc- Andre Fleury (6-3-2 / 2.49GAA / .920 SV%)


* Sidney Crosby will be a game time decision for the Penguins. He did not practice yesterday due to an undisclosed injury . The decision to play will be made following today's pregame skate.


ISLANDERS LINES:
Sean Bergenheim - Mike Comrie - Bill Guerin
Jeff Tambellini - Doug Weight - Trent Hunter
Jon Sim - Frans Neilsen - Richard Park
Mitch Fritz - Andy Hilbert - Kyle Okposo


Andy Sutton - Mark Streit
Bruno Gervais - Thomas Pock
Chris Campoli - Brett Skinner


ISLANDERS PROBABLE GOALTENDER:
Joey MacDonald (4-5-1 / 3.18GAA / .899 SV%)


PENGUINS LEADERS:
GOALS: Satan
ASSISTS: Malkin (17)
POINTS: Malkin (21)
+/-: Crosby (+5)


ISLANDERS LEADERS:
GOALS: Hunter (5)
ASSISTS: Weight (9)
POINTS: Hunter (11)
+/-: Sutton (+5)


The Penguins could be without Sidney Crosby tonight, but hopefully they don't need him. Crosby is apparently still nursing the injury that caused him to leave the game in Phoenix last week.


The Islanders sit in a bad spot right now, last in the Eastern Conference, last in the NHL, and without their starting goaltender and franchise player Rick DiPietro, who is out due to injury.


The Penguins offense has finally been flying again, scoring 11 goals in the last two games. Islanders goalie Joey MacDonald has only played 27 NHL games in his career, so the Penguins should be able to take advantage of his inexperience, though their lack of scouting on him could hurt. The Islanders defeated the Eastern Conference-leading New York Rangers on Tuesday, so they are not a team to be taken lightly. As always, it seems like the Penguins main concern will be avoiding their traditional third period collapse (though it appears the Islanders have the same problem. )


It will be a homecoming for both Miroslav Satan and Ruslan Fedotenko, who both played on Long Island last year. Satan scored two goals against Edmonton on Thursday, leading the team in that department.


The Penguins more balanced lines looked good against the Oilers. I think that their offense has finally meshed and the Islanders will be in for a long night.

Prediction: 5-2 Penguins


New York Media:


Newspapers:
New York Times 
New York Daily News 
New York Post  


Blogs:
The Drive for Five 
Islanders Army  
Islander Frontier  
On the Islanders Beat 
Lighthouse Hockey  
Islanders Outsider  
Islesblogger 
NYI Point Blank  


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