Associated Press

Pittsburgh Penguins (16-15-5, in the Metropolitan Division) vs. New York Islanders (13-15-7, in the Metropolitan Division)

Elmont, New York; Saturday, 7:30 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: The Pittsburgh Penguins visit the New York Islanders after Michael Bunting’s two-goal game against the Philadelphia Flyers in the Penguins’ 7-3 win.

New York has gone 13-15-7 overall with a 3-3-2 record in Metropolitan Division play. The Islanders have a 13-3-4 record in games they score at least three goals.

Pittsburgh has a 2-6-1 record in Metropolitan Division play and a 16-15-5 record overall. The Penguins have a -20 scoring differential, with 111 total goals scored and 131 conceded.

The teams meet Saturday for the second time this season. The Islanders won the previous matchup 4-3 in a shootout.

TOP PERFORMERS: Anders Lee has 13 goals and 14 assists for the Islanders. Maxim Tsyplakov has four goals and two assists over the last 10 games.

Evgeni Malkin has seven goals and 22 assists for the Penguins. Sidney Crosby has two goals and 12 assists over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Islanders: 4-5-1, averaging 2.7 goals, 4.5 assists, 2.5 penalties and five penalty minutes while giving up 3.4 goals per game.

Penguins: 6-3-1, averaging four goals, 6.5 assists, 2.9 penalties and 6.6 penalty minutes while giving up 3.1 goals per game.

INJURIES: Islanders: None listed.

Penguins: None listed.

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are 10-6 and have now lost control of the AFC North as they head into the postseason. Their postseason berth is already clinched, so they have nothing to worry about there, but if they want to win their first playoff game in over a decade, many things need to be fixed.

Yet, one analyst says this recent stretch proves it’s time for the Steelers to blow it up entirely. Jason McIntyre says the Steelers should trade T.J. Watt and hit the reset button because it is what the team needs.

“I took a lot of heat when I said over the offseason the Steelers should trade T.J. Watt and start over, but I wasn’t wrong,” McIntyre said. “I was just early. I looked for nine or 10 weeks, but this team needs to start over.”

When McIntyre suggested the offseason, it was to the tune of the Steelers landing multiple first-round picks that would allow them to cobble together enough capital to land a franchise quarterback in the draft.

That is what McIntyre believes is ultimately holding the Steelers back from contention, placing much of the blame at the feet of Russell Wilson. Even still, the Steelers are not going to trade Watt and believe they can win a Super Bowl with him.

• BETTING: Check out our guide to the best PA sportsbooks, where our team of sports betting experts has reviewed the experience, payout speed, parlay options and quality of odds for multiple sportsbooks.

Life nearly took a very different turn for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Andrew McCutchen.

McCutchen went on Mookie Betts’ podcast on Bleacher Report, On Base With Mookie Betts. In the episode, the Pirates star revealed that he had an offer from the University of Miami to play football and baseball on a full-ride scholarship. McCutchen said he hadn’t played football since his sophomore season after he suffered a torn ACL in his sophomore year of high school playing the sport.

McCutchen said he considered the offer from Miami but eventually decided to stick with baseball knowing that was a strong chance he’d be drafted in the first round of the MLB Draft. That eventually came to fruition when the Pirates drafted him with the No. 11 overall pick in the first round of the 2005 MLB Draft out of Fort Meade High School in FL.

“I get a phone call from the head coach for our high school football team,” McCutchen said. “He calls me [and] he goes, ‘Hey, congratulations. Miami called [and] they want to give you an offer. They want to offer you. I’m like, ‘What?’ [He said] they you want to give a full ride to play football. And I sat there and I’m like I ain’t played football in two years. I was kind of in shock, and I was like, ‘Nah, man, I’m getting drafted.’”

Had McCutchen not been taken in the first round of the MLB Draft, he said he would have gone to college and likely would have tried to play football and baseball collegiately. McCutchen had signed a Letter of Intent to play at the University of Florida before he was drafted by Pittsburgh.

Drafting McCutchen has proven to be one of the Pirates’ best decisions in franchise history. McCutchen, 38, has amassed a 42.7 Wins Above Replacement and has batted .284/.375/.475 with 235 home runs and 818 RBIs over his 11 seasons in Pittsburgh. McCutchen ranks among the franchise’s all-time great players, ranking in the top 10 in Wins Above Replacement, games played, at-bats, home runs, RBIs, hits, doubles and total bases.

McCutchen is also a former MVP, five-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger, Gold Glove winner, and winner of the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award in 2015. The Pirates legend is set to return for a 12th season with the franchise after agreeing to a one-year, $5 million deal on Monday.

Make sure to visit Pirates OnSI for the latest news, updates, interviews and insight on the Pittsburgh Pirates