The Pittsburgh Penguins are gearing up for a game against the New York Islanders tonight. A snowstorm forced their flight to be cancelled last night, which hindered their ability to hit the ice this morning.
The lines will remain largely intact, with Phil Kessel reportedly remaining on the right wing, despite it being his off side. The lines certainly didn't click against the Carolina Hurricanes, as a particularly weak night saw them lose 4-0, which if you ask some, was a much closer score than they deserved.
And 4-0 isn't close.
Regardless, they hope to right the ship against a struggling Islanders team - losers of their last 4. They've allowed 21 goals in that span, and figure to be a good team to get the offense running against. These two teams are in hot contention for a wildcard spot, making this game very important for the Penguins, if they hope to remain in the picture.
Here are the lines.
Dominik Simon - Sidney Crosby - Conor Sheary
Patric Hornqvist - Evgeni Malkin - Phil Kessel
Carl Hagelin - Jake Guentzel - Daniel Sprong
Tom Kuhnhackl - Riley Sheahan - Ryan Reaves
Matt Hunwick - Kris Letang
Olli Maatta - Jamie Oleksiak
Ian Cole - Justin Schultz
Matt Murray
The change happens in goal, as Tristan Jarry is expected to get the start while Matt Murray rests following Thursday night's loss. Jarry is 6-3-2 this season, and although it's standard practice to play the backup on the second half of a back-to-back, one must wonder if Mike Sullivan may opt to dress Jarry more as the second half of the season goes on.
