Islanders vs Penguins: Back on the ice, Odds, Lineups, and More

After an unscheduled break due to COVID protocols, the New York Islanders are finally back in action. They welcome the Penguins who are also on shaky grounds with a 1-2-1 record over their last four games.

The Pens arrive on Long Island for a one-game set with a few notable injuries on the backend. Both Letang and Matheson are game-time decisions for the Penguins. Should both remain out of the lineup, it could be a good time for the Islanders to build on some of the positives they’ve shown over their last two outings.

The New York Islanders look to get back to winning ways

Tale of the Tape

Betting Odds

The Islanders come into today as the underdogs, courtesy of the Action network.

No one knows who might win this game. The money line for the Pens is -105 and -104 for the Islanders. Technically, that means the Isles are the slight favorite to win this one. The Penguins might have the better record and may have a good team on paper, but the tale of the tape shows that the Isles are the better team.

Projected Lineups

With an unscheduled few days off, the Islanders still weren’t able to get Anthony Beauvillier back. The winger, who picked up an injury in the second leg of a two-game series against the Devils, is still out for this tilt against the Penguins.

How the Isles forward lines shape up will be interesting. They’ve used Komarov in Beauvillier’s spot, but the veteran forward isn’t doing a good job in that spot. The third line should be Bellows-Pageau-Wahlstrom but we’ll see if that pans out. The fourth line hasn’t been performing well and could use a shakeup, but it’s doubtful Trotz shakes them up.

The Islanders are projected to lineup like this:

Lee-Barzal-Bailey
Czarnik-Nelson-Eberle
Bellows-Pageau-Wahlstrom
Martin-Cizikas-Clutterbuck

Pelech-Pulock
Leddy-Mayfield
Dobson-Greene

Varlamov (Sorokin)

The Penguins have been off almost as long as the Islanders. They last hit the ice on Monday where they lost to the Rangers 3-1. With the delay, they’ve had the chance to get healthier (sorta). Defenseman Kris Letang and defensive partner Mike Matheson could make the lineup tonight. Both are game-time decisions.

The Penguins are expected to lineup like this:

Guentzel-Crosby-Rust
Zucker-Malkin-Kapanen
McCann-Bluger-Tanev
O’Connor-Jankowski-Lafferty

Matheson*-Letang*
Ruhwedel-Ceci
Joseph (Weber)

Jarry (DeSmith)

*Game-time decisions

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Where to Catch the Game

TV: MSG+, NBCSP
Radio: 88.7FM 103.9FM 98.7FM
Livestream: MSG GO app, ESPN+