Islanders vs. Penguins Preview: Lineups, TV, and More

It’s been a week since the New York Islanders played the Pittsburgh Penguins and the fifth game of six this month. The Isle are 1-2-1 on the month and the season. The last time out against the Pens, the Isles dropped a contest they should have won. They’ll look to make up for that today.

The blueprint to get the ‘W’ is quite clear. The game the Isles played last week is exactly what they need to do to beat the Penguins this time around. Because a third straight win can put them at the top of the Eastern Division (assuming the Washington Capitals lose against the Devils).

The New York Islanders look to get a W against the Penguins

The Nassau Coliseum has been a great place for the Islanders in 2021. So far this season the Islanders have a 6-0-1 record at home.

But the Islanders have been poor against the Penguins this season. They’ll need to figure it out this time around. There’s no excuse. They know how to – and how not to play – against the Penguins.

Tale of the Tape

Odds

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

It makes sense that the Isles would be -115 favorites (at the time of writing) with that strong home record. But the Penguins at +105 are still regarded as good enough to take both points at Fort Never-Lose.

Projected Lineups

The lineup should be the same as we’ve seen on most nights with one possible exception; Cal Clutterbuck. Barry Trotz indicated that Cla would be a game-time decision. The fourth-line winger might not bury a bunch of points, but he’s a valued member of the lineup.

Replacing him won’t be easy, but it’s likely that Austin Czarnik steps into Cal’s spot on the fourth line. Czarnik is a good skater and can play that forechecking role that Cal plays. He may not be a batterring-ram on skates like Clutterbuck, but he should be an effective replacement.

The Islanders are projected to lineup like this:

Lee-Barzal-Eberle
Beauvillier-Nelson-Bailey
Komarov-Pageau-Wahlstrom
Martin-Cizikas-Czarnik

Pelech-Pulock
Leddy-Mayfield
Dobson-Greene

Varlamov (Sorokin)

The Penguins have some injury concerns right now. Jason Zucker is out for what could be an extended period of time. That’s a big gap in the top six for the Penguins to fill.

It seems that Jared McCann is ready to return to the lineup after sitting out with an injury of his own. He could step into Zucker’s spot for the time being.

The Penguins are projected to lineup like this:

Guentzel-Crsoby-Kapanen
McCann-Malkin-Rust
Aston-Reese-Blueger-Tanev
Lafferty-Jankowski-Sceviour

Joseph-Letang
Matheson-Marino
Pettersson-Ceci

Jarry (DeSmith)

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Where to Catch the Game

TV: MSG+, NESN, SNE, SNO, SNP, SN360, MSG GO APP

Radio: 88.7FM 103.9FM 1050AM

*All Stats Provided by the NHL*