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The Pooch Report
NEW YORK ISLANDERS (28-27-4) AT PITTSBURGH PENGUINS (27-19-9)
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As the race for the Eastern Conference wild card gets tighter, the games for New York Islanders only get bigger.
Monday's tilt with the Pittsburgh Penguins - the second in four days between the clubs - is rather large, as Isles and Pens are both tied with 63 points, holding the first and second wild card berths in the East.
The Penguins do hold four games in hand on the Islanders, so while a win would leapfrog the Islanders past their divisional rivals, even if only temporarily, a loss could have lasting ramifications on the Isles ability to catch the Pens.
Then there are all the teams chasing the Islanders and Penguins. Washington and Florida sit one point back, while Buffalo and Detroit are three points back with five and four games in hand respectively.
"We're in the chase for a playoff spot and we've got an opportunity to play a team that is above us on Monday," Kyle Palmieri said following the Isles 6-2 loss to Boston on Saturday. "We have an opportunity to kind of turn out a pretty good weekend with a win on Monday… It's a big game for us."
The Islanders are 2-0-0 against the Penguins this season, with both wins coming at UBS Arena. The Islanders have lost five straight games in Pittsburgh, all in regulation.
ISLANDERS NOTES:
UPDATE: Mathew Barzal is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury, the team announced on Monday morning.- Mathew Barzal left Saturday's game against the Bruins in the first period and did not return. With the Islanders off on Sunday, there's been no updates on Barzal's status for Monday night. Barzal leads the Islanders with 37 assists this season and has 51 points this season.
"He's a very important player for us in all different aspects," Head Coach Lane Lambert said on Saturday. "As much as you try not to let it affect you, we had a power play that didn't go very well and he's a big part of that. There's a residual effect all the way down."
- Josh Bailey missed Saturday's game with an upper-body injury and is not expected to join the team in Pittsburgh on Monday. Bailey has 21 points (6G, 15A) in 54 games this season.
JG Pageau missed his third straight game on Saturday, as the center is out with an upper-body injury. Like Bailey, Pageau is not expected to play vs Pittsburgh.
- In the wake of the Islanders growing injured list, the Islanders emergency recalled Arnaud Durandeau from the Bridgeport Islanders on Sunday afternoon. If Durandeau plays, the Montreal, QC, native will be making his NHL debut.
Durandeau, the Islanders' 2017 sixth-round pick (165th overall), has 33 points (13G, 20A) in 48 games this season with Bridgeport. The 24-year-old is four points shy of his AHL career-high (37 points), set in 64 games last season. Durandeau has played parts of four seasons with Bridgeport after playing four years with the Halifax Mooseheads in the QMJHL.
- Brock Nelson's 12-game point streak ended on Saturday. The Islanders center racked up 16 points (9G, 7A) during his career-long point streak. Nelson's 12-gamer was the longest since John Tavares had a 12-game run in 2012. Nelson has 24 goals and 55 points this season.- Noah Dobson is currently riding a five-game point streak, with seven points (1G, 6A) over that span. Dobson leads all Islanders blueliners with 35 points (11G, 24A) in 55 games this season.
- Ilya Sorokin is expected to start in goal for the Islanders. Sorokin made 40 saves against the Penguins in the Isles 5-4 comeback win on Friday. Sorokin is 4-3-0 in seven regular season games against the Pens, with a 2.78 GAA, a .909 SV% and one shutout. Sorokin is 4-0 with a 1.95 GAA and a .943 SV% in four career playoff games vs Pittsburgh.
Sorokin is 3-1-1 in his last five starts overall.
PENGUINS NOTES:
- The Penguins have lost two straight games in regulation, falling to the Islanders 5-4 on Friday and 5-2 to the New Jersey Devils on Saturday. Like the Islanders, the Penguins will be playing their third game in four days when the teams reconvene on Monday.- Evgeni Malkin scored a pair of goals for the Penguins on Saturday, netting his 20th and 21st goals of the season. Malkin's two tallies snapped a five-game goal drought. He has hit the 20-goal mark for the 14th time in his career. Malkin has 56 points in 55 games this season.
Malkin recently hit the 1,200-point mark on Feb. 10 at Anaheim. Malkin is the 51st all-time to reach the milestone and fourth active player behind Crosby (1,476), Alex Ovechkin (1,464) and Patrick Kane (1,214).
- Crosby leads the Penguins in goals (25), assists (42) and points (67). The Penguins captain has five points (1G, 4A) in his last three games, including a goal and an assist vs the Islanders. Crosby has points in 11 of his last 13 games.
- Rickard Rakell is riding a three-game point streak with six points (3G, 3A) over that span. Rakell has hit the 20-goal mark for consecutive seasons for the first time since 2016-18 with Anaheim.
- Tristan Jarry has been sidelined since Jan. 22 with an upper-body injury. Casey DeSmith played against the Islanders on Friday, allowing five goals on 28 shots.
UPDATE: Jarry will start for the Penguins, returning after missing nine games. Jarry is 16-5-5 this season with a 2.65 GAA, a .921 SV% and one shutout.
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