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Penguins going for tenth divisional loss in a row tonight

February 20, 2023, 4:44 PM ET [105 Comments]
Ryan Wilson
Pittsburgh Penguins Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
The Penguins will host the New York Islanders tonight in an attempt to avoid losing their tenth(!) consecutive game against a Metropolitan opponent. It is an amazing number to digest. On one hand it is pretty amazing the Penguins are still holding a playoff spot losing nine divisional games in a row. On the other hand it is pretty pathetic to lose nine divisional games in a row.

The good news is the Penguins are getting one of their most important players back tonight. Tristan Jarry will finally make his return to the lineup. He was the first goalie off the ice this morning.





One of the Penguins biggest issues the past few seasons has been goaltending. A lot of it has been injury related, and most of that has been tied to Jarry’s health. This year Jarry has a .921 overall save percentage which is good for sixth best in the league per NHL.com’s leaderboard.

The bad news is the skaters in front of him, specific to the bottom six, remain the same. In fact, after shaking things up with Drew O’Connor on the third line with Carter and Kapanen Mike Sullivan is returning to one of the worst line combos in the league, again. Brock McGinn will be rejoining Carter and Kapanen. Perhaps they are going with the ~45th time is a charm.

The Penguins are catching a break as the Islanders most skilled forward will sidelined with a lower body injury for tonight and the foreseebale future.





There are no excuses for the Penguins heading into this game. The only outcome acceptable is two points. If they can’t rally for a victory over the Islanders given the circumstances then what are they even doing? They are at home, they understand the importance of the game, all of their important players are available. If they can’t pull it off it will be ten L’s in a row, in division. Certainly not something that would catch a competent GM’s attention.

Thanks for reading!
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