The resilient Pittsburgh Penguins will aim for a fourth and-home series that is set to end Thursday in the Steel City.
The Penguins have played their first 10 games without captain Sidney Crosby and have only had Evgeni Malkin for three tests, but Pittsburgh has still managed to post a 6-2-2 record so far.
Head coach Dan Bylsma can scratch another name off his list of available players for the time being, as the Penguins will be without defenseman Zbynek Michalek for the next 4-to-6 weeks due to a broken finger.
Michalek, who has a goal and three points in 10 games this year, suffered the injury while blocking a slap shot in Saturday's win over New Jersey.
Crosby is still out indefinitely with post-concussion syndrome, but Malkin is making the trip to Uniondale and is considered to be questionable for tonight's game. Malkin, who has four points in three games this year, is bothered by a sore right knee -- the same knee that the Russian forward had season-ending surgery on in February.
Jordan Staal led the way in Pittsburgh's most recent win, a 4-1 victory Saturday against visiting New Jersey. Staal scored twice to give him 100 goals for his career.
"I'll take a night like this anytime," said Staal, whose second goal of the game was the 100th of his career. "It's nice to win the game when you reach a milestone like that."
Richard Park had two assists while Chris Kunitz and James Neal each had a goal for the Penguins. Neal now has eight goals on the season.
Marc-Andre Fleury made 23 saves to earn the victory and is 5-2-0 on the season.
The Islanders began the year with a 3-1 record, but will try to avoid a third straight loss tonight. New York went 0-2 on a recent trip to the Sunshine State, dropping a 4-1 decision in Tampa on Thursday before getting dealt a 4-2 setback by the Panthers on Saturday.
Tim Kennedy scored the go-ahead goal four minutes into the third period for Florida, which exploded for four goals after being shut out in its previous two contests.
Mark Streit and John Tavares both had a goal and an assist for the Islanders, while Evgeni Nabokov made 29 saves in defeat.
"I think Nabokov played great for us," Islanders head coach Jack Capuano said. "He weathered the storm in the first period and gave us a chance to win."
Isles forward Brian Rolston is expected to be back tonight after missing Saturday's game to be with his wife for the birth of their fourth child. Defenseman Milan Jurcina could also play his first game of the year after sustaining a groin injury in training camp.
Tonight marks the first encounter between the Pens and Isles this season. The Penguins posted four wins in six meetings with New York in 2010-11 and Pittsburgh has taken eight of 10 and 11 of the last 14 matchups overall. The Pens have dropped three out of five on Long Island.
The Isles are 3-1-0 at the Coliseum this season, while the Pens have identical 3-1-1 records at home and on the road.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.