Penguins, Islanders clash for first time this season

The surging Pittsburgh Penguins are among the Eastern Conference teams that took advantage of the New York Islanders' inconsistency between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

But the Penguins will take the ice Tuesday night knowing they could have done more -- recently and far earlier in the season -- to create even more distance between them and the Islanders in the playoff race.

The Penguins and host Islanders, jockeying for