Penguins' Rickard Rakell drops blunt statement after disappointing loss to NY Islanders

The 2024-25 season has been a rollercoaster ride for Rickard Rakell and the Pittsburgh Penguins through 37 games. After a 7-12-4 start that saw them sit near the bottom of the league standings, the Penguins have turned their season around, going 9-4-1 since.

The turnaround has been led by the Penguins' first line of Rakell, Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust. All three forwards have produced over a point per game during their hot stretch.

Despite the recent success, they remain outside the playoff picture looking in. This makes every game for the rest of the season important should they want to make it to the dance.

Therefore, a 6-3 loss to a divisional foe in the New York Islanders on Saturday night was unacceptable for the Penguins. Rakell knows that is the case and his team needs to be better moving forward.

"We got to do a better job controlling the puck, helping each other, winning the netfront on both sides tonight. We didn’t get the job done. We were not good enough," Rakell said postgame.

Rickard Rakell and Penguins will look for revenge tonight in a rematch with Islanders

On the bright side, Rickard Rakell and the Penguins have a shot at redemption on Sunday night. They will again face off against the New York Islanders, this time in the comforts of their home rink, PPG Paints Arena.

The Penguins enter action with a 16-16-5 record, good for 37 points, while the Islanders sit at 14-15-7, good for 35 points. Tonight's matchup could be considered a must-win, with just two points separating these division rivals.

Fans will also be watching for history in tonight's game. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby remains tied with Mario Lemieux for the most assists in team history at 1,033.

The puck drops for the rematch of the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders at 5:30 p.m. ET.