The Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders are battling for position in the Eastern Conference as the NHL playoffs get closer, but both teams will have to do it without a star player in the lineup. Evgeni Malkin and Jaroslav Halak are both sidelined for their teams, and it's unlikely either player will return before the postseason.
Malkin suffered a shoulder injury for the Penguins and could be out for six weeks, while Halak is dealing with a groin injury and could be out for the same amount of time. Malkin has already missed time this season with an injury and his absence will put pressure on Phil Kessel for the Penguins. Pittsburgh moved into the first wildcard spot with the Detroit Red Wings losing, and the Pens are still in the mix in the Metropolitan Division behind the Rangers and Islanders.
"We're at a particular juncture in our season where every game is critically important," Penguins coach Sullivan said. "We need all of our players to step up here."
The Penguins don't have a chance to win the division title over the Capitals, but they can get into better playoff position in the Eastern Conference. It looks fairly certain that both the Islanders and Penguins will make the playoffs, but the real question is what seeds they will end up being. The Penguins are just two points back from the Islanders for the third spot in the Metro, and it would be a huge advantage for the team if it pushed the Islanders into a wildcard spot.
Barring a major collapse (and without Malkin/Halak in the lineup, there's potential that it could happen), the major issue for both teams is about seeding. The Penguins won over the Rangers on Sunday to keep things tight, as New York now has just a three-point lead over the Islanders in the standings. The Rangers are trying to hold off the Islanders to keep home-ice advantage in the first round.
The Penguins have the chance to play spoiler for both teams down the stretch. Pittsburgh won over the Rangers on Sunday despite the returns of Rick Nash and Henrik Lundqvist, and now it will get a shot at the Islanders. The two teams will get the chance to test things without their star players on Tuesday night when the Islanders visit the Penguins in Pittsburgh.
The diagnosis for Malkin is "six to eight" weeks of recovery while he deals with an upper-body injury that appeared to be a shoulder issue. Halak will be sidelined for over a month with his injury, putting pressure on Thomas Greiss as the starting goaltender.
