Islanders Conclude Home-and-Home With Pittsburgh In Steel City; Lineups & Notes

The Islanders eye a sweep of the Penguins after defeating them at UBS Arena on Saturday.

, and

Dec 29, 2024

After taking the first game of a home-and-home set, the New York Islanders (14-15-7) look for their second win in as many days over the Pittsburgh Penguins (16-16-5).

Puck drop is set for 5:30, and the game can be found on MSGSN.

PHOTO: Russ Macias

New York improved to 2-0-0 against the Penguins with their victory on Saturday. The two teams meet on Sunday before concluding their season series on March 18.

Marcus Hogberg will make his first NHL start since Apr. 28, 2021, when he was a member of the Ottawa Senators after Ilya Sorokin started the last 12 games.

He last faced the Penguins on Dec. 30, 2019, where he took the loss, allowing five goals against on 33 shots.

PROJECTED LINEUP

Lee-Barzal-Pageau

Duclair-Nelson-Palmieri

Cizikas-Horvat-Holmstrom

Tsyplakov-MacLean-Fasching

Romanov-Dobson

Pelech-Pulock

George-Mayfield

Hogberg

Sorokin

WHO’S HOT:

Anthony Duclair lit the lamp in Saturday’s game, giving him a three-game point streak since returning from a lower-body injury. The forward has a goal and two assists in that span.

Anders Lee and Casey Cizikas each scored two goals in Saturday’s win, with Cizikas’ effort being his first multi-goal game since March 20, 2021.

Simon Holmstrom had an assist on Saturday to extend his point streak against the Penguins to four games, notching three goals and two helpers for five points in that span. He is now three points shy of tying his career-high with 25.

Brock Nelson remains two short of moving into a tie with Brent Sutter and Pat LaFontaine for fifth place on the Islanders’ all-time goals list with 285 goals in his career. He can get closer against a team he leads the Islanders in scoring against, owning 21 goals and 18 assists for 39 points against Pittsburgh.

He last faced the Penguins on Dec. 30, 2019, where he took the loss five goals against on 33 shots.

OPPONENT’S NOTES:

Rickard Rakell has been hot for Pittsburgh over the last five games. In that stretch, he’s tallied four goals and five assists for nine points. He also has a four-game point streak against the Islanders entering Sunday’s game, totaling two goals and four assists for six points after a pair of helpers in November.

Bryan Rust enters play on Sunday one point short of 400 for his NHL career. The forward owns 187 goals and 212 assists for 399 points in 597 career games, all with Pittsburgh.

Sidney Crosby was kept off the board on Saturday but sits on the verge of history for the Penguins. He is one assist away from breaking Pittsburgh’s franchise record in assists, boasting 1,033 for his NHL career. The future Hall of Famer can do it against a team he leads his roster in scoring against, owning 42 goals and 93 assists for 135 points in 87 career meetings with New York.

After Tristan Jarry skated in the front end of the back-to-back, Alex Nedeljkovic will start the back end for Pittsburgh. Nedeljkovic last started on Dec. 17 against the Los Angeles Kings, where he made 29 saves on 31 shots in a winning effort. He is 3-1-2 with a 3.14 GAA and .898 SV% in seven career games against the Islanders, most recently dropping their Nov. 5 with three goals against on 26 shots in a shootout loss.