Game Preview: Islanders vs Penguins

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (13-15-7) VS PITTSBURGH PENGUINS (16-15-1)

7:30 PM | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS

WATCH: MSGSN | MSG+ | ESPN+

LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | ISLANDERS + UBS ARENA APP

The New York Islanders host the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first half of a back-to-back set on Saturday night, which also doubles as a home-and-home for both teams.

The Islanders lost 7-1 to the Buffalo Sabres in the final game before the league-wide holiday break on Monday. Kyle Palmieri scored the lone goal for the Isles and Ilya Sorokin made 18 saves in his 11^th consecutive start, which established a new career-long. The loss to Buffalo followed a victory where the Isles matched a season-high with six goals scored against the Maple Leafs in a 6-3 decision in Toronto on Saturday.

“We really liked our game in Toronto, but we really didn’t like our game against Buffalo,” Mayfield said. “It’s not the effort we wanted but we’re laser focused on tomorrow.”

The Penguins are coming off a commanding 7-3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday. Sidney Crosby had a four-point performance (1G, 3A), while Rickard Rakell (1G, 2A), Michael Bunting (2G) and Bryan Rust scored in the victory. Tristan Jarry made 24 saves.

SEASON SERIES

The Islanders defeated the Penguins 4-3 in a game where the Isles rallied out of a 3-1 deficit on Nov. 5 to take a 1-0-0 series lead.

MORNING SKATE UPDATES

- The Islanders held an optional morning skate on Saturday. Ilya Sorokin is expected to make his 12th consecutive start, with Head Coach Patrick Roy planning to give the nod to Marcus Hogberg on Sunday in Pittsburgh. Sorokin is 10-11-4 this season with a .898 SV% and a 2.95 GAA.

ISLES NOTES

- The Isles hit the ice for practice on Friday – at Northwell Health Ice Center, their usual venue – but for a special occasion, as select Islanders Season Ticket Members were invited to watch practice as over 300 fans flooded the stands.

“It was fun, it was a good day to see all the kids out there and their families,” said Captain Anders Lee. “They cheered us on a little bit, and it was nice they showed up to watch us practice today. Little bit different, little more energy, just a great day.”

- The practice also offered the Islanders a solid session to re-tool and reset to come out of the break on a high note.

“We focused on getting our legs back after three days off, getting a good sweat in,” Lee said. “We wanted to get our game in a good spot and get ready for tomorrow. We have an opportunity here, it’s a division weekend, it’s an important one for us.”

- Isaiah George is riding a two-game point streak when he recorded an assist on Palmieri’s goal against the Sabres on Monday after he buried his first NHL goal on Saturday against the Maple Leafs. George’s career-long point streak is three games (Nov. 25 – 29).

“He’s been good, he’s comfortable out there and he’s moving his feet and moving the puck up the ice,” Mayfield said. “The development has been good to see and as his partner I’m just trying to help him out as much as I can.”

- Kyle Palmieri netted his 12th goal of the season on Monday. The winger ranks second on the team in goals and scored against Pittsburgh on Nov. 5.

- The Islanders are 2-1-1 in the front end of back-to-back sets this season.

- The Isles have been struggling on the PK this season with a shorthanded unit that ranks 32nd in the league (64.4%), while their PK on home ice is 53.1%.

- The Isles are 3-3-2 against opponents in the Metropolitan Division this season.

PENGUINS NOTES

- The Penguins have had a bit of a resurgence, going 9-3-1 in their last 13 games, which boosted them to fourth in the Metro with 37 points. The Penguins’ power play has been hot over that stretch, converting at 30.7% (12-for-39). The Penguins had a slow start to the season, going 7-12-4 in their first 23 games.

- Captain Sidney Crosby tied Mario Lemieux for the franchise record in career assists (1,033) and can move into sole possession with a helper against the Islanders on Saturday. The captain is averaging over a point-per-game with a team-leading 39 points (10G, 29A) in 36 games of his 20^th NHL season. Crosby’s 1,033 assists rank 12^th in NHL history.

- Rickard Rakell leads the Pens in goals (16). The 31-year-old winger has three goals in his last four outings.

- Matt Grzelcyk has 17 points (1G, 16A) in 36 games and has nine points (1G, 8A) in his last 11 outings dating back to Nov. 30, which ranks 10^th in scoring among defensemen over that span. The Penguins 30-year-old was acquired as an unrestricted free agent after he spent seven seasons with the Boston Bruins.

- The Penguins power play (24.5%) ranks seventh in the NHL.