(PHOTO: REUTERS/Andy Clark)
Christian Post Report – Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sidney Crosby (R) takes part in a team practice in Vancouver, British Columbia October 5, 2011. The team was preparing for their game against the Vancouver Canucks to start the NHL hockey season October 6. Crosby is not expected to play.
In their final home game for the regular season, the Pittsburgh Penguins host the New York Islanders at Consol Energy Center. The match is on April 10, 2015 at 7 p.m. ET.
Metropolitan Division rivals, the Islanders and Penguins are separated by two points as the season winds down.
Currently, the Islanders hold the final qualifying spot in the playoffs while the Penguins are in the Wild Card slot of the Eastern Conference.
Both teams have two matches remaining and, depending on the outcome of this match, they may end up switching positions or even see themselves drop out of the playoff picture completely.
It has been a rough time for the Penguins as they have only won two of their last eight matches – and their current stretch is being winless in their last four. Their most recent performance was a 4-3 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators where they squandered an early 3-0 lead to allow the hosts to take a point that could have helped them in their standing.
Pittsburgh is also going through many different injuries in their playoff bid as four players are listed as day-to-day. Christian Ehrhoff and Kris Letang have been nursing problems since March, while Steve Downie and Derrick Pouliot picked up knocks earlier this month.
Meanwhile, the Islanders can clinch a playoff spot if they beat Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, their performances lately have been poor and they have only won two of their last seven matches. They lost 5-4 to the Philadelphia Flyers in their last game as their comeback bid fell short. They were down 4-1 in the third period before three goals within 11 minutes leveled the score. With only three seconds left, New York allowed a goal to see them lose the game.
After their match against Pittsburgh, the Islanders close out the regular season with a home game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
To get highlights and updates on the game, visit NHL.com. For live streaming, click here.
Source : Christian Post