With the Islanders caught in a battle royale for the second wild card, Jaroslav Halak was resurrected from the AHL and started his first game in the NHL since December 29 against the Wild.
Ryan Strome suffered a broken wrist in Wednesday’s contest against the Rangers, and while he thankfully doesn’t need surgery to repair it, he will be out the next 3-6 weeks. Tonight, Alan Quine took his spot. Dennis Seidenberg remained a healthy scratch as the defense stayed the same.
The boo-birds were out for Joshua Ho-Sang early on in Pittsburgh, but he seemed to thrive off it - in the early part of the game, amid the boos, he was integral in generating around 40 seconds of offensive zone time, both beginning the play rushing in and then keeping the puck in play for the Isles.