Riding a two-game win streak, the New York Islanders head back to Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum to face the Pittsburgh Penguins for the second time in three games on Feb. 10. The two teams last met on Saturday, Feb. 6, a 4-3 victory for New York. This is the Penguins’ first game since then.

Last Time Out

On Feb. 8, the Islanders shut out the rival Rangers 2-0 at Madison Square Garden. Semyon Varlamov picked up his third shutout of the season, his second against the Blueshirts, with 30 saves. Varlamov became the first player in franchise history to shutout the Rangers twice in a season. The fourth line scored both goals in the third period to help Barry Trotz grab his 850th career victory, putting him in sole possession of third place on the NHL’s all-time list.

New Front Office

After former General Manager Jim Rutherford stepped down on Jan. 27, the Penguins spent almost two weeks searching for a replacement. On Feb. 9, Pittsburgh announced the hiring of Ron Hextall as their new general manager and Brian Burke as president of hockey operations, a position the Penguins have never filled before. Hextall was a goalie in the NHL for 13 years, including one with the Islanders in 1993-94. He was the general manager of the Flyers from 2014-18 and, most recently, an advisor in the Hockey Operations department in Los Angeles. Burke was formerly the general manager of the Canucks and Ducks, president and general manager of the Maple Leafs and president of the Flames. He was most recently an analyst on Sportsnet.

Home Cooking

After playing seven of their first nine games on the road, the Islanders are in the midst of a four-game stretch that features three home contests. New York is 3-0-0 at the Nassau Coliseum with wins over Boston, New Jersey and Pittsburgh. Last season, the Islanders went 13-8-3 in Uniondale.

Islanders and Penguins Roster Update

Evgeni Malkin left the Penguins’ practice early on Feb. 10, his status for the game is unknown. In his absence, head coach Mike Sullivan ran the second power-play unit with three defensemen. Zach Aston-Reese may also make his season debut after practicing on the third line. He is recovering from off-season shoulder surgery.

Anthony Beauvillier has been ruled out by Coach Trotz but he should be returning soon. Beauvillier has missed the past six games with a lower-body injury. Dmytro Timashov and Otto Koivula were sent from the taxi squad to Bridgeport.

Tune In

Tonight’s game will be available on MSG+ for New York viewers and ESPN+ for anyone outside of the New York and Pittsburgh markets. In New York, the game will also be on the radio on 88.7 FM WRHU, 103.9 FM LI News Radio and 98.7 FM ESPN NY.

John Smark