Game Preview: Islanders vs Penguins

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (3-2-2) VS PITTSBURGH PENGUINS (5-7-1)

7:30 PM | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS

WATCH: MSGSN | MSG+ | ESPN+

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

After a three-game road trip, the New York Islanders are back at home to host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night at UBS Arena.

The Isles ended their three-game road stretch (1-2-0) on a sour note, dropping a 5-2 decision to the New York Rangers at MSG on Sunday afternoon. Casey Cizikas and Brock Nelson scored for the Islanders and Ilya Sorokin turned aside 35 of 39 shots faced, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Rangers’ offense led by Artemi Panarin (2G), Vincent Trocheck, Chris Kreider and Adam Edstrom.

Despite the loss, Head Coach Patrick Roy believes his team is trending in the right direction and noted the team will always have areas to improve on, whether the previous result was a win or loss.

"We're playing good hockey. The only thing we don't have for us right now is results," Roy said. "There's always things you think you could get better at, win or lose. We gave a little too many chances on our tracking, so we need to be better at it. I love the way we possess the puck. I love the way we control the game yesterday, and that's something that we want to continue to work at."

The Penguins are coming off a 3-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night. Sidney Crosby scored twice – including the game-winner – and Blake Lizotte buried an empty net goal for Pittsburgh.

It’s always a heated battle with the Isles and Pens face off and Tuesday’s matchup marks the first of four meetings between the Metropolitan Division rivals. They split the season series last year (2-2-0) and New York swept Pittsburgh in the 2022-23 campaign.

“We have to be on our game,” Nelson said. “They’re always tough games, tight matchups. Special teams, we’ll need to be better to make a difference.”

ISLES NOTES

- Alexander Romanov and Mike Reilly (both day to day, upper-body injuries) missed Monday’s practice. In light of injuries to the blueline, the veteran defensemen have been shouldering extra minutes. Ryan Pulock logged a career-high 29:24 TOI, eclipsing his previous career-high of 29:00 set on Nov. 5, 2018.

- Samuel Bolduc was returned on loan to Bridgeport after the 23-year-old defenseman recorded 5:56 TOI on Sunday against the Rangers in his season debut. Bolduc has collected five points (1G, 4A) in nine games for Bridgeport this season.

- Roy confirmed Ilya Sorokin as the starting netminder for Tuesday's tilt against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Sorokin is 3-3-1 this season with a .922 SV% and a 2.29 GAA. Against the Penguins, the Russian netminder is 8-5-0 in 13 career appearances along with a .908 SV% and a 3.21 GAA.

- Casey Cizikas potted his first goal of the season, connecting with his line with Pierre Engvall and Simon Holmstrom. The trio, which saw ice time together toward the end of last season, is a combination that Roy liked in previous games but thought they had a solid performance on Sunday against the Rangers.

“The energy that they bring and the intensity, they're capable of playing against top lines, so it's good for us,” Roy said. “I thought that they were a very good line against the Rangers yesterday afternoon. I think it's a good mix. They played well when they played together last year, and they’ve been playing well again now.”

- Anders Lee is tied for fifth in the NHL in shots on goal (49). The captain has six points (3G, 3A) in his first 12 games of the season.

"I think he's getting himself in good spots and attacking down low," Nelson said. "That's one of his assets, obviously, with his size. He's finding himself down low and in tight, getting tips and second and third opportunities. That's huge."

- Nelson leads the team with 39 points (21G, 18A) in 43 career games against the Penguins, which marks his highest goals and point total against any opponent. Through the previous two seasons, Nelson recorded 13 points (7G, 6A) in eight games.

PENGUINS NOTES

- After enduring a six-game winless streak (0-5-1), the Penguins are now riding a two-game winning streak with Saturday’s 3-1 victory over Montreal and a 2-1 OT win over the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday. The Penguins are below the NHL-.500 in their first 13 games of the season with a record of 5-7-1.

- Bryan Rust (lower-body, week to week) skated on his own on Monday morning but is not expected to make his return from injury by Tuesday to face the Islanders. The winger last played in a 4-3 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 26 and has collected four points (3G, 1A) in eight games this season.

- Captain Sidney Crosby is on a hot streak with two consecutive multi-goal games and seven total points (4G, 3A) in his last three games, earning NHL’s third star of the week on Monday.

- Sitting at 597 career goals, Crosby is on the brink of becoming the 21st player in NHL history to score 600 goals. The longtime Penguin signed a two-year extension with the team, set to begin in the 2025-26 campaign.

- Evgeni Malkin is tied with Crosby for the team lead with 14 points and leads the team in assists (11).

- Rickard Rakell leads the Penguins with six goals in his fourth season on the team.

- The Penguins have been struggling defensively this season, allowing 3.77 goals per game, which is tied for 29th in the NHL with the San Jose Sharks. Pittsburgh has been solid on the penalty kill however, operating at 86.5% shorthanded, which ranks sixth in the league.