FAQ » left.Strome got the Rangers on the scorebo

NEW YORK — The New York Islanders and Vancouver Canucks were two of the most surprising stories of the NHL through the first month of the season. But these next few weeks are likely to reveal more about the Islanders and Canucks than the first few weeks.The Islanders and Canucks will each be looking to snap losing streaks Tuesday night Adidas Calvin De Haan Jersey , when New York hosts Vancouver at Barclays Center.The Islanders suffered their third straight loss Saturday night, when they fell to the host Florida Panthers, 4-2. The visiting Canucks lost their second consecutive game Monday, when they dropped a 2-1 decision to the New York Rangers.Article continues below ...For the Islanders (8-6-2), the losing streak followed a five-game winning streak that catapulted them to the top of the Metropolitan Division. But new head coach Barry Trotz is looking at the recent struggles as an opportunity for New York — which wasn’t expected to contend for a playoff spot following the offseason departure of John Tavares to the Toronto Maple Leafs — to display its maturity.“Two things happen to this team when teams go into funks,” Trotz told reporters following practice Monday afternoon. “Everybody wants to play the blame game. It’s the power play, it’s the penalty kill, it’s the coach, it’s the management, whatever. The teams that come out of the other end if you let them fight through the adversity, and there’s no blame someone for this or blame someone for that — what happens is those teams always come out better on the other side. They become more resilient. They become better teams.”Like the Islanders, the Pacific Division-leading Canucks (10-7-2) are in a far better position than anyone could have envisioned after the retirements of twin brothers Henrik and Daniel Sedin ushered in a rebuilding era. But in losing three of their last four games — and falling each time by a goal — Vancouver is learning the fine line between victory and defeat.The Canucks gave up two goals in the final three minutes of a 4-3 shootout loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday and lost Monday when the Rangers scored twice off faceoffs deep in the Vancouver zone.“It’s a tough league — if you relax for a second, you get punished Adidas Michael Ferland Jersey ,” Canucks goalie Jacob Markstrom said Monday night, when he took the loss after making 25 saves. “In Buffalo, that was the case. It was a tough one. And then today, too.”Neither team announced a starting goalie for Tuesday night, though with the Canucks playing the second game of a back-to-back set, it is likely ex-Islanders goalie Anders Nilsson will draw the start in place of Markstrom, who has started eight straight games. Nilsson last played Oct. 25, when he took the loss after making 26 saves as Vancouver fell to the Arizona Coyotes, 4-1.Robin Lehner has been in net for the Islanders’ last two losses — including Saturday, when he made 27 saves against the Panthers — so New York could turn back to Thomas Greiss on Tuesday. Greiss hasn’t played since Nov. 5, when he recorded 32 saves and took the defeat in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Montreal Canadiens.Nilsson is 0-3-0 in three career appearances against the Islanders. Greiss (2-2-0) and Lehner (1-2-0) have each made four appearances against the Canucks. NEW YORK (AP) — Matt Murray doesn’t think he’s made any big changes since coming back from an injury last month. He’s just focusing on details and helping the Pittsburgh Penguins pile up wins.Murray stopped 28 shots to keep up his strong play since his return, and the Penguins beat the New York Rangers 7-2 Wednesday night for their season-high seventh straight victory.“There’s nothing really game-changing you can do. It’s just about doing the little things harder and better,” said Murray Adidas Jordan Schroeder Jersey , who improved to 6-0 with a 1.49 goals-against average in six games since Dec. 15.“Battling through traffic, just competing,” he added. “The way the game’s played nowadays, there’s going to be a lot of tips and screens and weird bounces. You’ve just got to do your best and put yourself in the best position that you can to make the save.”Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jake Guentzel, Kris Letang and Dominik Simon each had a goal and an assist. Zach Aston-Reese and Tanner Pearson also scored to help the Penguins win for the ninth time in 10 games. Patric Hornqvist had two assists.“I don’t think we were at our best,” Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said. “We were opportunistic on some of the chances we got and Matt was there to make timely saves for us.”Pittsburgh has recovered nicely from a 10-10-5 start. The Penguins are 12-2-1 in their last 15 games.“Early in the year we might have made mistakes to beat ourselves,” said Crosby, selected an All-Star for the eighth time earlier in the day. “We’re making teams earn their chances a little more. … We’re getting a lot of different guys contributing.”Ryan Strome and Pavel Buchnevich scored for the Rangers, who were 2-0-2 in their previous four games and 2-0-5 in their past seven at home.Henrik Lundqvist, picked as an All-Star for the fifth time earlier in the day, gave up six goals on 18 shots before he was pulled less than five minutes into the third period. Alexandar Georgiev replaced him and finished with six saves.“They are incredibly opportunistic Adidas Chris Kunitz Jersey ,” Rangers coach David Quinn said of the Penguins. “I thought they elevated their game. Just one of those nights in the National Hockey League.”Malkin pushed Pittsburgh’s lead to 5-1 with his 13th goal at 1:03 of the third. He brought the puck up the middle, lost control of it as he skated through some Rangers defenders and then made a lunging poke to send it through Lundqvist’s legs before sliding into the goalie.Buchnevich pulled the Rangers back within three just 19 seconds later, putting the puck past Murray from the right side for his seventh.However, Pearson beat Lundqvist with a shot into the top right corner on a power play for his fifth at 4:40. That ended Lundqvist’s night.“Tonight I couldn’t find it for some reason,” Lundqvist said. “This was probably my worst game.”Crosby made it 7-2 with 6:04 left, matching a career high with his fifth straight multipoint game. He has three goals and nine assists during that stretch,After a scoreless first period, the Penguins took control with four goals in the second — including three in a 5:51 stretch midway through.Aston-Reese, a native New Yorker facing the Rangers for the first time, got the Penguins on the scoreboard first. He took a pass from Matt Cullen from behind the end line, settled the puck off his skate and beat Lundqvist for his sixth at 6:29.“Just an incredible feeling,” Aston-Reese said. “A local kid … that’s something you dream about when you’re little. To have it actually happen is huge.”Guentzel, who signed a five-year Adidas Brandon Manning Jersey , $30 million contract extension last week, doubled the lead with 8:39 left in the period as his shot from the left circle deflected off Rangers defenseman Marc Staal’s stick into the left corner for his 17th.Letang made it 3-0 when he beat Lundqvist for his ninth with 7:40 left.Strome got the Rangers on the scoreboard only 26 seconds later with a deflection of Brady Skjei’s shot past Murray.Simon restored Pittsburgh’s three-goal lead with his fifth with 4:15 remaining in the middle period.NOTES: Murray also moved to 8-0 in his career against the Rangers, including the playoffs.. … Crosby has four goals and 14 assists in his last 10 games. … Pittsburgh forward Phil Kessel was held without a point, ending a streak of three consecutive three-point games. … The teams play three more times this season: on Feb. 17 at Pittsburgh, March 25 back in New York, and April 6 at Pittsburgh. … Staal appeared in his 800th regular-season game, becoming the 10th player in franchise history to play that many with the Rangers. Staal also joined brothers Eric (1,130) and Jordan (872) to become the first trio of siblings in NHL history to each play at least 800.UP NEXTPenguins: Host Winnipeg on Friday night to open a three-game homestand.Rangers: At Colorado on Friday night to begin a three-game road trip.