New York Islanders vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Pregame ReportWhen: October 27th, 2016 Where: PPG Paints Arena Time: 7:00 PM EDT TV: MSG+ (Brendan Burke, Butch Goring) Radio: WRHU 88.7 FM, AM 570, WRCN 103.9 FM (Chris King, Greg Picker)
The Islanders (3-4-0) hope to bounce back from a tough loss last night to the NHL’s best team, with a win in Pittsburgh against another top squad. Jaroslav Halak will face Marc-Andre Fleury when the Islanders face the Penguins (4-2-1) tonight at 7. Sidney Crosby is back for the Penguins after missing the first six games of the season with a concussion. He played 18:02 on Tuesday night against the Panthers, scoring the Pens’ first goal of the game. Kris Letang will not play this evening, as he is recovering from an upper-body injury. There is no word on the health of Nikolai Kulemin as of yet, as the Isles did not have a morning skate. We will know more when Jack Capuano speaks at 5 PM. But, assuming he is still not healthy enough to go, the Isles will go with the same cast of characters; there’s just no word on who will play where after coach Jack Capuano juggled the lines last night. Andrew Ladd, who is goal-less on the season, ended the game on the fourth line, and 19-year-old Anthony Beauvillier was promoted to the first line. Crosby knows not to take the Isles lightly: “Some of the guys they added are really quick. They’ve added some speed there. I think you’re going to see that every night. You’re going ot see a lot of teams who bring that type of speed, and we’ve got to be ready for that. And that’s something that we pride ourselves on as well, so being aware of that is important, but we’ve got to be on our game. They’re playing back-to-back nights so it would be nice to get some momentum and build off of that.” That being said, the Isles did not play well last night. They left Thomas Greiss hung out to dry on numerous occasions. “I thought he was excellent,” Capuano said. “He kept us in the game especially when we were real sloppy in our execution level in the first period and a half or two.” “The second period was probably our worst period of the season,” said captain John Tavares. “We responded with a better effort in the third, and gave ourselves a chance and we just didn’t get it done.” Unfortunately not, but they do have a chance to make it right tonight with a big early season victory in Pittsburgh. These teams face off only four times this season, so a victory over a division rival is very important. This is the Islanders’ lone road game before they start another five-game homestand, after which they will have played almost a quarter of their home games for the season.
Islanders Player To Watch: Josh BaileyThe Islanders’ 27-year-old veteran is having a great start to the season. Hardly a shift goes by where Bailey isn’t hustling to get involved in the offense or busting it to get back on defense. He has really stepped up his game early this season. Penguins Player To Watch: Sidney Crosby
Who else? I mean this guy is the Pittsburgh Penguins. Now that he is healthy, he is a force to be reckoned with, and the Isles have to be careful. He is a certified Islander killer.
Projected Line Combinations:Forwards Andrew Ladd – John Tavares – Josh Bailey Anders Lee–Brock Nelson– Anthony Beauvillier– Alan Quine–Mathew Barzal–Ryan Strome Jason Chimera– Casey Cizikas – Cal Clutterbuck Defensemen Calvin de Haan– Dennis Seidenberg Goaltenders
The post Islanders Travel To Pittsburgh Looking To “Steel” A Win appeared first on Islanders Insight.
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