Pittsburgh, PA (My Sportsbook) - Trying to catch a break, the
New York Islanders hope to snap a two-game losing streak tonight when they visit the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Igloo.
New York, 2-8-0 in its last 10 overall, has dropped consecutive decisions to Ottawa and Boston, including Thursday's 4-1 loss to the host Bruins.
Captain Michael Peca, who suffered a torn left ACL last spring, made an early return to the lineup but was forced to leave the match after sustaining a right knee sprain in the second period. Peca, who won the Selke last season as the league's top defensive forward, is listed as probable for tonight's contest, but will be a game-time decision.
Brad Isbister tallied the lone Islander goal, while goaltender Chris Osgood allowed three scores on 13 shots before yielding to Garth Snow early in the second after Boston made it 3-0. Osgood, a key factor in the team's rise to the postseason last year, fell to 5-7-0 with a bloated 3.95 goals-against average and .846 save-percentage.
New York, 1-4-1 on the road, kicked off a five-game trek Thursday, and will visit Florida on Wednesday.
Pittsburgh, meanwhile, hopes some home cooking will do it good after a winless road trip (0-2-1-1). The disappointing venture concluded with a 1-1 tie in Minnesota on Thursday.
Mark Bergevin scored the Pens' lone goal, 5:21 into the second period, but the Wild's Richard Park answered 2:51 later with the equalizer. Goaltender Johan Hedberg, who had allowed seven goals in his previous two outings, halted 30 shots en route to the deadlock.
The Penguins' newly assembled top line -- Mario Lemieux, Martin Straka and Alexandre Daigle -- was for the most part kept in check. The trio was ineffective for a period-and-a-half, and Daigle was eventually pulled off in favor of Alexei Kovalev.
Pittsburgh is 5-0-1 in its last six home games after falling 6-0 to Toronto on opening night. The Pens will visit Montreal on Monday to open a home-and- home set.
These teams went 2-2-1 against each other last season, but the Islanders hold a 4-2-1 advantage in the last seven meetings overall. New York is 2-0-1 in its last three trips to the Igloo.
