Islanders vs. Penguins, Gm 67: Pageau ‘Not Ready’ for Wild-Card Showdown

PITTSBURGH, PA — The road to the playoffs continues for the New York Islanders (33-25-8) as they face off against the Pittsburgh Penguins (32-22-9) on Thursday night. Puck drop is slated for 7 PM ET at PPG Paints Arena.

The Islanders have beaten the Penguins twice in a four-day span at the end of February, both come-from-behind wins. The Penguins are coming off a 5-4 overtime win against the Columbus Blue Jackets, coming back from down 4-0 for their biggest win of the season.

The Islanders hold a one-point lead over the Penguins for the top wild-card spot, with Pittsburgh playing in three fewer games.

MORNING SKATE UPDATES

Ilya Sorokin was in the starter’s crease at Islanders’ morning skate. He is 4-1-1, with a 1.65 GAA, and a .944 SV% over his last six starts.

Both Cal Clutterbuck (IR) and Jean-Gabriel Pageau (IR) were on the ice, but both did not take part in line rushes and will not play.

Pageau & Clutterbuck Both Take Part in Islanders Morning Skate

Tristan Jarry was not on the ice for the Penguins’ optional morning skate, as he will get the nod against the Islanders. He was pulled from his last start on Tuesday after allowing four goals on 12 shots against the Blue Jackets.

NEW YORK ISLANDERS LINES (PROJECTED)

Anders Lee-Bo Horvat-Pierre Engvall
Zach Parise-Brock Nelson-Kyle Palmieri
Matt Martin-Casey Cizikas-Hudson Fasching
Simon Holmstrom-Otto Koivula-Josh Bailey

Adam Pelech-Scott Mayfield
Alexander Romanov-Ryan Pulock
Sebastian Aho-Noah Dobson

Ilya Sorokin
Semyon Varlamov

PITTSBURGH LINES (PROJECTED)

ISLANDERS NOTES

Tonight, the New York Islanders visit the Pittsburgh Penguins in the fourth and final matchup between the two clubs this season.

The last time these teams met was February 20 in Pittsburgh, when Bo Horvat, Brock Nelson, and Zach Parise each recorded multi-point games, as
the Islanders scored three unanswered goals in the third period and earned a 4-2 win.

The Islanders will look to earn their fourth straight win against Pittsburgh tonight. They have earned points in each of their last four games (3-0-1) and have a 3-1-1 record in their last five meetings against Metropolitan Division opponents.

FANDUEL BETTING CORNER

Do you think the New York Islanders will beat the Pittsburgh Penguins? You can get the Islanders at +126 & -205 on the reverse puck line. The Penguins come in at -152 & +168 on the puck line.

The over for the contest is 5.5 at -132, with the under at +108.

Check out more FanDuel sports betting odds.

HOW TO WATCH

Thursday’s contest will be available on MSGSN. On the radio dial, the game can be heard on 1050 AM ESPN, 88.7 FM WRHU, and 103.9 FM LI News Radio.