Game Preview: Islanders vs Penguins

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (30-32-10) AT PITTSBURGH PENGUINS (41-26-5)
7 P.M. - BARCLAYS CENTER - BUY TICKETS
TV: MSG+, MSG GO
RADIO: 88.7FM - WRHU, 660AM/101.9FM - WFAN
GAME NOTES

QUICK NOTES:

• The Islanders are looking to end a three-game losing streak
• The Islanders power play has five goals in the past two games

LINEUP NOTES:

UPDATE: Chris Gibson in goal. Ross Johnston is in for Cal Clutterbuck, who is a little banged up. Dennis Seidenberg is in for Sebastian Aho. Seidenberg is in for the first time since Feb. 15.
John Tavares was with his usual linemates - Anders Lee and Josh Bailey - at Monday's practice and will be at center on Tuesday after a brief trip to the wing on Sunday. Ross Johnston and Brandon Davidson were both at Monday's practice after sitting out Sunday's game.

ISLANDERS PROJECTED LINES:

| FORWARDS | | --- | | LEFT WING | CENTER | RIGHT WING | | ANDERS LEE | JOHN TAVARES | JOSH BAILEY | | ANTHONY BEAUVILLIER | MATHEW BARZAL | JORDAN EBERLE | | ANDREW LADD | BROCK NELSON | TANNER FRITZ | | CHRIS WAGNER | CASEY CIZIKAS | ROSS JOHNSTON |

| DEFENSE | | --- | | NICK LEDDY | JOHNNY BOYCHUK | | ADAM PELECH | DENNIS SEIDENBERG | | THOMAS HICKEY | RYAN PULOCK |

SEASON SERIES:

The Islanders are 0-1-2 against the Penguins this season and will be looking to avoid the season sweep against the defending Stanley Cup champions. The Islanders have gone to overtime in two of their three meetings with the Penguins this season, most recently falling 3-2 in OT on March 3 in Pittsburgh.
Video: Practice Update 3/19: Anders Lee 35th Goal

POWER PLAY CLICKING:

The Islanders power play has scored five goals over the past two games, going 5-for-8 over that span. Power plays tend to be streaky, but a few Islanders tried to pinpoint what's been going well.
"We've kept it simple and done a good job on getting pucks back, whether it's on breakouts, or face-offs we've battled to get control of the puck," Ryan Pulock said. "It allows you to get set up and then we have a lot of skill on our team, so when we can get set up and make those little plays, we usually have success."
"It seems power plays going in spurts like this," said Anders Lee, who had a pair of power-play goals on Sunday. "We're getting pucks to the net, moving the puck around, moving it quickly and that's what we aim to do every night."

BY THE NUMBERS:

200 - career points for Anders Lee. Lee recorded his 200th NHL point on Sunday vs Carolina.
35 - goals for Anders Lee. Lee set a new single-season high with his 35th goal of the campaign.
5 - points in three games for Ryan Pulock. The defenseman is riding a three-game point streak (1G, 4A).

THE PENGUINS:

Last Game: W 5-3 at Montreal
Leading Scorer:Goals:Evgeni Malkin - 40
Assists: Sidney Crosby - 54
Points: Evgeni Malkin - 89
With 10 games remaining in the regular season, the Penguins are eyeing the top spot in the Metropolitan Division. Pittsburgh (87 points) is two points back of the Washington Capitals (89 points) for the top spot in the Metro, while trying to hold off the Philadelphia Flyers (85 points), who lurk just behind.
While the Penguins go for the top spot in the Metro, Evgeni Malkin is closing in on the NHL scoring lead. Malkin is tied for second in league scoring with 89 points (40G, 49A), four points back of Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov. Malkin has been on a tear in the second half and leads the NHL in goals (26) and points (53) since Jan. 1
The Penguins sent goalie Tristan Jarry to AHL Wilkes-Barre on Monday, meaning Matt Murray could return after missing nine straight games with a concussion.
While Murray (23-13-2, 2.82 GAA, .909 SV%) presents a tough matchup, Jarry had the Isles number this season, recording all three Pittsburgh wins.
!
\Graphic courtesy of Islanders PR*