New York Islanders

Islanders Game 36 Preview at Pittsburgh Penguins: Lines & How To Watch

Published

4 months ago

December 31, 2023

The New York Islanders play one final game before the New Year, seeking redemption against the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight at PPG Paints Arena. Here’s what you need to know before puck drop.

Mayfield Activated Off Injured Reserve:

The Islanders activated Scott Mayfield off injured reserve ahead of facing Pittsburgh. Head coach Lane Lambert says that Mayfield, as well as Casey Cizikas, is a game-time decision.

Mayfield has been out of the lineup since suffering an upper-body injury against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Dec. 11. He has four assists in 20 games this season.

Pelech & Varlamov Skate:

Adam Pelech and Semyon Varlamov were both in attendance for the Islanders at morning skate today.

Pelech’s participation was his first with the team in over a month. The defenseman has been on long-term injured reserve dating back to Nov. 24, when he left a game versus the Ottawa Senators with an upper-body injury.

Pelech is still on LTIR, but being back with the team today is a major step towards his return to the lineup. He’s eligible to be taken off LTIR as soon as he’s able.

Varlamov was listed as day-to-day over the last 48 hours after he “tweaked” something.

He will be on the bench tonight, backing up as Ilya Sorokin after Ken Appleby did so in his place on Friday.

Projected Lineup:

Lee-Horvat-Barzal

Engvall-Nelson-Palmieri

Holmstrom-Pageau-Gauthier

Fasching-Cizikas-Clutterbuck

Romanov-Dobson

Aho-Mayfield

Reilly-Bortuzzo

Sorokin

Varlamov

Last Time Out:

After enduring a brutal loss in their previous game, the Islanders bounced back with a 5-1 win over the Washington Capitals Friday night at UBS Arena.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Julien Gauthier each scored twice in the victory. Noah Dobson had a goal as well.

Ilya Sorokin nearly had his third shutout of the season until a puck took a phantom bounce and snuck through him in the game’s final seconds. Still, Sorokin was stellar, finishing the night with 26 saves.

The Opponent:

It was not a pretty sight the last time the Islanders saw the Pittsburgh Penguins, and they’ll be looking to redeem themselves tonight.

Pittsburgh pummeled the Islanders, 7-0, on UBS Arena ice back on Wednesday.

Jake Guentzel had two goals that night. He is the Penguins’ leading scorer, operating above a point-per-game pace with 40 this year. Sidney Crosby leads Pittsburgh with 20 goals.

Tonight is the second of a back-to-back for the Penguins. They took down the St. Louis Blues by a final of 4-2 on Friday.

Alex Nedeljkovic will make his 10th start of the season tonight versus the Islanders. He comes in with a record of 5-2-2, a 2.64 GAA and a .917 save percentage.

The Penguins post the league’s 26th-ranked power play and are 10th while shorthanded.

How To Watch:

Puck drop between the Islanders and Penguins from PPG Paints Arena is scheduled for just past 6 p.m. EST. The game is available to watch on MSGSN and can be streamed on MSG Plus or ESPN Plus for out-of-market viewers. 88.7 FM WRHU will produce the radio feed of the game, which can also be heard on 98.7 FM ESPN or 103.9 FM WRCN.