Isaiah George Talk On Hockey Night in New York ELMONT, NY -- The New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/] knew the importance of their weekend back-to-back against the Pittsburgh Penguins for their playoff hopes. After falling 7-1 to the Buffalo Sabres on Monday, their final game before the Christmas break, they put forth a much better effort against Pittsburgh on Saturday night. Backed by a strong start, a dominant second period, and a strong finish, they came away with a 6-3 win: I'm not sure if wins in December can be deemed monumental, and they mean nothing if the Islanders can't build on them. But, because of the win, they were able to close the gap between them and a playoff spot: Now, the Islanders turn their attention to the second leg of their back-to-back home-and-home with puck drop coming your way at 5:30 PM ET on Sunday. Don't look now, but an Islanders' back-to-back sweep, a regulation win, will have them ahead of the Penguins due to the regulation win tie-breaker. Depending on how Ottawa does against the Minnesota Wild, the Islanders could be one point behind them on Monday morning for the second wild-card spot. There's a portion of the fan base that doesn't want to see the Islanders make the playoffs because they want change. Roster changes should occur regardless of their standings, whether they're in a playoff spot or not, by the NHL Trade Deadline on March 7th. Staying in the race or, dear, I say, finding themselves in a playoff spot sooner rather than later has many positives. That likely means Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri continue to contribute, which is only a positive for two pending unrestricted free agents who will have many suitors at the trade deadline. The same could be said for Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who has one more year left on his deal. Winning is vital to building a culture; whether you want them in the playoffs or not, that stuff is invaluable to a locker room. It's valuable to the young players here to stay, and the core pieces are already signed long-term. We seem to have gotten ahead of ourselves, so let's reel things back in, yeah? It's been a tale of two halves, literally, for the Islanders on the second leg of back-to-backs this season. They lost their first two second legs, being outscored 8-4. But they won their last two, outscoring their opponents 7-2. The Penguins have had more success on second legs, going 4-2-1 this season. After starting 12 straight games, Ilya Sorokin is expected to get a rest, with Marcus Hogberg scheduled to make his first start since Apr. 28, 2021. The third-string turned starter signed a two-year deal this summer and has stopped all 17 shots that have come his way in his two relief appearances as Sorokin's backup. It's well-documented how much the Islanders' players trust Sorokin, even if he's been shaky lately. This does not mean the Islanders don't trust Hogberg, but one would expect them to play a much tighter game with him between the pipes because of the unknown. Expect a strong early push from the Penguins, who are certainly looking for some quick revenge in front of their home crowd. If the Islanders play like they played for most of Saturday's win, the results will be the same: A win, and a vital one at that, ahead of the New Year's Eve battle with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
