Pittsburgh Penguins seeking revenge as play against New York Islanders – NHL Preview
New York Islanders have not yet been eliminated from the playoff contention and they are keeping their fighting spirits alive as long as they are still in the competition.
Islanders’ recent run suggests that they are not going to give easy time to the opponents, who even have officially qualified for the playoffs.
On the other hand, Pittsburgh Penguins, who got defeated by Islanders, are going to face them once again and are seeking revenge.
The matchup will take place on Thursday, March 29, 2012, at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York.
Let’s take a look at both teams.
Penguins
They have already qualified for the playoffs and are ranked at fourth spot in the Eastern Conference with 100 points after 76 games.
They have been performing brilliantly during the last couple of months and are expected to give a tough time to their opponents in the postseason.
Penguins have played 13 games this month and lost only three. They have six more games left to play in the regular season.
Islanders
They are ranked at 13th spot in the Eastern Conference with 75 points after 76 games and are 11 points behind the eighth-ranked Buffalo Sabres.
They have won four of their last five games and are presently on a two-game winning streak.
Islanders have five more games to play in the regular season and even a single defeat can officially end their run in the season.
Previous meeting
Islanders are recently in an exploding form and defeated Penguins in their last encounter.
In the first period of the game, Islanders scored twice without giving away any goal. Penguins scored two goals early in the second period to level the score, but Islanders responded in the same period by scoring three more goals.
Penguins scored a goal in the final period, but could not completely overcome the deficit.
Frans Nielsen, who scored twice for Islanders, said after the game:
"We've been playing well lately but we knew this game and the next game is a going to be a good test to see where the team is standing and how good we are because Pittsburgh is a good hockey team.”
Predictions
Despite Islanders’ commendable run of late, Penguins hold an edge.
The sum of goals scored by both teams might be six or more.
If Islanders win, the winning margin will be less than two goals.
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