Penguins at Islanders preview
New York eyes point in 16th straight for longest streak in its history; Hornqvist game-time decision for Pittsburgh
by Brian Compton @BComptonNHL / NHL.com Deputy Managing Editor
PENGUINS (11-7-3) at ISLANDERS (15-3-1)
7 p.m. ET; ESPN+, MSG+, ATTSN-PT, NHL.TV
The Game
The New York Islanders can extend their point streak to 16 games, which would be the longest in their history, when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins at Barclays Center on Thursday.
The Islanders, who have won four in a row, matched their point-streak record when they rallied for a 5-4 overtime victory at Pittsburgh on Tuesday. They are 14-0-1 in their past 15 games.
New York has had three 15-game point streaks since entering the NHL in 1972; the most recent was a 15-0-0 stretch from Jan. 21-Feb. 20, 1982.
Penguins forward Patric Hornqvist was a full participant at practice Wednesday and will be a game-time decision. Hornqvist has missed the past seven games since sustaining a lower-body injury Nov. 2.
Pittsburgh, 3-1-2 in its past six games, ended the Islanders' 10-game winning streak with a 4-3 overtime victory at Barclays Center on Nov. 7.
Players to watch
Penguins center Evgeni Malkin has 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in his past seven games.
Islanders forward Anthony Beauvillier has six points (five goals, one assist) in a three-game goal/point streak.
They said it
"He adds a lot. He's hard to play against, he's one of the best net-front guys in the League … He's unique to our team because we don't have a lot of guys that are like him. When he's in our lineup, I think we're a better team." -- Penguins coach Mike Sullivan on forward Patric Hornqvist
"We're just playing hockey right now, and that's kind of the biggest thing, we're not really looking too far ahead. We're worrying about who we have tonight and what's at task. I haven't put any thought into it; I don't think too many guys have. We're just trying to play that team that we're playing tonight." -- Islanders center Casey Cizikas on their 15-game point streak
Penguins projected lineup
Jake Guentzel -- Evgeni Malkin -- Bryan Rust
Dominik Kahun -- Jared McCann -- Brandon Tanev
Alex Galchenyuk -- Joseph Blandisi -- Patric Hornqvist
Brian Dumoulin -- John Marino
Marcus Pettersson -- Chad Ruhwedel
Jack Johnson -- Juuso Riikola
Matt Murray
Tristan Jarry
Scratched: Sam Lafferty, Zach Trotman
Injured: Sidney Crosby (core muscle surgery), Nick Bjugstad (lower body), Kris Letang (lower body), Justin Schultz (undisclosed)
Islanders projected lineup
Anders Lee -- Mathew Barzal -- Jordan Eberle
Anthony Beauvillier -- Brock Nelson -- Derick Brassard
Josh Bailey -- Otto Koivula -- Michael Dal Colle
Matt Martin -- Casey Cizikas -- Cal Clutterbuck
Adam Pelech -- Ryan Pulock
Devon Toews -- Scott Mayfield
Nick Leddy -- Johnny Boychuk
Thomas Greiss
Semyon Varlamov
Scratched: Ross Johnston, Leo Komarov, Noah Dobson
Injured: Tom Kuhnhackl (lower body)
Status report
The Penguins did not hold a morning skate. … Schultz left practice early Wednesday, and Trotman was recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League on Thursday. … Martin participated in the Islanders morning skate and will play for the first time after missing nine games with a lower-body injury.
Stat pack
Pittsburgh has killed 23 straight penalties and hasn't allowed a power-play goal in its past 10 games. … Nelson, who scored the overtime goal Tuesday, will play his 500th NHL game. He has seven points (two goals, five assists) in a four-game point streak.