The Penguins return to the ice for a Metro Division matchup against the second-place New York Islanders, but they haven’t had much time to prepare for it. The NHL was in a league-wide stoppage for three days, meaning teams could not practice or travel.
The big question is how the team’s power play will respond following an abysmal performance Saturday against Ottawa, in which they went 1-for-8 on the man advantage and failed to capitalize on an extended 5-on-3 opportunity. With the exception of last game, however, the Penguins’ power play has gone 7-for-28 over the past four games, marking the fourth most converted attempts in the NHL since Dec. 12.
Forwards Matt Nieto and Bryan Rust will be gametime decisions. Nieto has missed the last 10 games with a lower-body injury while Rust has missed the last seven with an upper-body injury. In the team’s final practice before the stoppage, both players skated on their own prior to the team’s practice in Cranberry but coach Mike Sullivan has not given an update on either of them since.
Faceoff tonight is shortly after 7:30. You’ll hear the game at 6:30 on U92.5 FM and U92radio.com.
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