Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Game #78 - vs New York Islanders

New York Islanders (34-36-7, 75 pts) at Pittsburgh Penguins (44-26-7, 95 pts)

After their great win against New Jersey, the Pens get the chance to avenge the bad loss to the Isles on Monday.

The two points up for grabs against the Isles are badly needed. After this one, the Penguins will play two against the Rangers and two against the Flyers. You have to think they'll struggle a bit with those four games. That makes the win over the Isles imperative.

Sid is returning to the lineup. He has five games to get back into shape for the playoffs. If it were up to me, I'd think about sitting him out one of the back to back games next Sunday and Monday. You don't have back to back in the playoffs normally, and there's no need for him to push it too much.

Marc-Andre Fleury is playing really well. He's 7-1 with a 1.48 GAA since his return from injury. That success is coming at the right time, as Conk has been struggling a bit.

The special teams have played well the past three games as well. The power play has goals in three straight, while the PK has allowed just one in the past three.

The important thing for the Pens now is to continue to earn points while building their consistency. They're familiar with the playoffs after their first round loss to the Sens last year, so they have some idea of what they need to do to get ready.

Let's Go Pens!

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