Pittsburgh takes on New York, seeks 4th straight victory

Pittsburgh Penguins (37-16-3, first in the East Division) vs. New York Islanders (32-17-7, fourth in the East Division)

Uniondale, New York; Thursday, 7 p.m. EDT

LINE: Islanders -107, Penguins -112; over/under is 5.5

BOTTOM LINE: Pittsburgh comes into a matchup with New York as winners of three games in a row.

The Islanders have gone 32-17-7 against division opponents. New York averages only 2.7 penalties per game, the fewest in the NHL. Ross Johnston leads the team averaging 0.7.

The Penguins are 37-16-3 against the rest of their division. Pittsburgh ranks third in the NHL averaging 5.9 assists per game, led by Sidney Crosby with 0.7.

In their last matchup on March 29, Pittsburgh won 2-1. John Marino recorded a team-high 2 points for the Penguins.

TOP PERFORMERS: Brock Nelson leads the Islanders with 18 goals, adding 15 assists and collecting 33 points. Josh Bailey has seven assists over the last 10 games for New York.

Crosby leads the Penguins with 24 goals and has 62 points. Jeff Carter has eight goals and one assist over the last 10 games for Pittsburgh.

LAST 10 GAMES: Islanders: 3-4-3, averaging 2.3 goals, 3.7 assists, 2.5 penalties and 5.3 penalty minutes while giving up 1.9 goals per game with a .937 save percentage.

Penguins: 8-2-0, averaging 3.7 goals, six assists, 2.4 penalties and six penalty minutes while allowing 2.3 goals per game with a .928 save percentage.

INJURIES: Islanders: Ross Johnston: out (undisclosed).

Penguins: Evgeni Malkin: day to day (undisclosed).

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