Faceoff Factor

7:00 (EST) at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
TV: FSN Pittsburgh
Radio: WXDX-FM (105.9)
Probable Goalies: Sabourin (Pit), MacDonald (NYI)

In the first of six meetings between these two Atlantic Division foes, the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight will travel to New York to play the dreadful Islanders.

But don’t let the last place team in the NHL fool you, they have some talent and are capable of playing a scrappy game that is conducive to winning — especially when up against a hated divisional rival, such as the Penguins.

"There are no ‘gimme’ games," winger Matt Cooke said to Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "There are no easy games. It’s the National Hockey League. If you don’t come ready to play every night, any team can beat any team."

Fortunately, unlike in recent years, Miroslav Satan now plays for the Penguins and, instead of watching him snipe goals against them, they’ll have the luxury of (hopefully) watching him snipe goals for them.

However, Satan may have to work without his centerman, as Sidney Crosby is projected to be a game-time decision as he fights an undisclosed injury.

"We’ll see how he’s going to feel [today]," coach Michel Therrien said, according to the PG. "So far, he’s been good enough to play those games since he got hurt. I hope he’s going to be there again [tonight]."

If Crosby does not play, Paul Bissonnette will suit up on the fourth line, but it is not clear how they other lines will be constructed.

The Penguins aren’t the only team dealing with injuries, though.  In fact, the Islanders are one team who easily rivals the Penguins’ woes, and likely surpasses them, as they currently have six players, including their starting goaltender, on the injured reserve list and another listed as day-to-day.

As a result, the Islanders sit not only at the bottom of the Atlantic Division or Eastern Conference, but the entire NHL, with just nine points in 13 games played.

Their offense has been bad, their special teams haven’t been great, and their even strength play has been downright awful, as the PG points out, being outscored 31-15 during five-on-five play.

Tonight’s marks the most winnable game of the next five, as the Penguins travel to Detroit, then play host to the Flyers, Sabres and Wild, so the Penguins must grab the bull by the horns and earn a much-needed win against an inferior team.

Now on to the stats…