Game Preview: Islanders vs Penguins 

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (16-8-9) VS PITTSBURGH PENGUINS (15-13-4)

7:30PM | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS

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After a three-day break for the holidays, the New York Islanders are back in action to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday to kick off the season series with their Metropolitan Division foes.   

The Islanders beat the Carolina Hurricanes 5-4 on Saturday to enter the league-wide break on a high note. Anders Lee scored his 250th career goal in a three-point night (GWG, 2A), while the Islanders had supporting goals from Sebastian Aho, Brock Nelson (1G, 1A), Bo Horvat (1G, 1A) and Mike Reilly (1G, 1A) to power the win. Mathew Barzal and Kyle Palmieri had two-point performances with two helpers each. Ilya Sorokin made 36 saves to contain a high-octane Hurricanes team.  

The Penguins dropped a 5-4 overtime decision to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday, picking up one point before the three-day break. Lars Eller, Rickard Rakell and Drew O'Connor scored for the Penguins, while Kris Letang had a three-point night (1G, 2A). Alex Nedeljkovic made 26 saves in his third consecutive start.  

The Islanders (41 points) stand second in the Metro with a record of 16-8-9,  picking up points in 17 of their last 19 games. The Islanders have a little distance between themselves and Pittsburgh, as the Isles are seven points ahead of the Penguins (34 points), though Pittsburgh has one game in-hand. To illustrate a tightly packed division, the third and sixth place teams in the Metro are separated by four points.   

The Isles swept the Pens last season in four meetings (4-0-0), winning three of those matchups in comeback fashion.

MORNING SKATE UPDATES

- Scott Mayfield participated in the Islanders morning skate on Wednesday, joining the team for the first time since suffering an upper-body injury on Dec. 11. Head Coach Lane Lambert did not provide a timetable for his return, but Mayfield is still on IR and would need to be activated before returning to the lineup.

- Oliver Wahlstrom could draw into the lineup in place of Julien Gauthier on Wednesday, per Lambert. Wahlstrom has been a healthy scratch in nine of the Islanders' last 10 games, last suiting up on Dec. 20 against the Washington Capitals. 

- Ilya Sorokin was the first goaltender off the ice for New York, suggesting he could get the nod against Pittsburgh. Sorokin is 5-0-2 in his last seven starts and is 6-3-0 in his career against the Penguins. He owns a 3.09 GAA and .914 SV% this season overall. 

- Tristan Jarry is the expected starter for Pittsburgh. He's started in 22 games for the Penguins this season with a 2.61 GAA and a .913 SV%. Through 14 career games against the Islanders, Jarry is 10-3-1 with a 2.45 GAA and a .919 SV%.

ISLANDERS NOTES 

- The Islanders continue their five-game stretch of playing divisional opponents with a matchup against the Penguins at UBS Arena on Wednesday before taking on the Capitals to complete a brief two-game homestand on Friday. Islanders and Penguins will face off again on New Year’s Eve at PPG Paints Arena. The Isles are 6-2-4 against Metro opponents this season. 

- Anders Lee scored his 250th career goal to extend his goal streak to three games. The captain has five goals in his last eight games to reach 10 goals on the season. Saturday’s game-winner marked his 40th of his career, tying Brock Nelson for sixth place in franchise history.  

- Mike Reilly buried his second goal of the season on Saturday and recorded his second multi-point night in his 13th game for the Islanders, ending the night with a +3 rating.  

- Sebastian Aho for the first time of the season on Saturday for his 10th career goal.  

- The Islanders remain undefeated in regulation when Nelson records an assist (10-0-2). The 32-year-old center leads the team in goals (16) and has recorded points in six of his last seven games with 10 points (5G, 5A) over that span.  

- In the last 19 games for the Islanders, 16 matchups have been decided by a single goal. Per Islanders team statistician Eric Hornick, the stretch marks the first time in franchise history that 21 of the first 33 games were decided by one goal. 

- The Islanders own the league’s sixth best power play (24.7%).

PENGUINS NOTES 

- The Penguins stand seventh in the Metro with 34 points and a record of 15-13-4. The Capitals (39 points) and the Lightning (39 points) occupy both wild card spots in the Eastern Conference, as Pittsburgh has three games in-hand over Tampa Bay but played one more game than Washington.  

- Bryan Rust (upper-body) is on LTIR and will not face the Islanders on Wednesday. The 31-year-old forward was injured in a 3-1 loss to the Lightning on Dec. 6, leaving the game in the second period. Rust is making progress toward returning, skating for the first time on Thursday ahead of morning skate, but is not eligible to return until Jan 2.  

- Alex Nedeljkovic started in the last three games for the Penguins, going 2-0-1, allowing nine goals and making 68 saves over that span. Through 10 games and nine starts this season, Nedeljkovic has a record of 5-2-2 with a 2.64 GAA and a .917 SV%. The 27-year-old netminder signed a one-year deal as a free agent on Jul. 1 after spending two seasons in the Detroit Red Wings organization.  

- Sidney Crosby leads the Penguins in goals (19) and is tied with Jake Guentzel for the team lead in points (35). Crosby has seven points (4G, 3A) in his last five games before the holiday break. 

- Guentzel is the team leader in assists (21) through 32 games. The career-Penguin is playing over a point-per-game pace with 14 goals and 35 points in his eighth season.  

- Jesse Puljujarvi joined the Penguins on a PTO on Dec. 10. The 25-year-old is still rehabbing after an offseason surgery but is practicing with Pittsburgh to work his way back to game action.  

- The Penguins have been strong in the dot this season, ranking second in the league in faceoff wins (54.7%).