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Arbour back to lead Islanders against Penguins

Nov 3, 2007 - 2:00 PM Pittsburgh (6-5-1) at NY Islanders (6-4-0) 7:00 pm EDT

UNIONDALE, New York (Ticker) - The New York Islanders had their best years under Al Arbour, so why not bring him back for a game?

Arbour will return to the bench for one final time when the Islanders host Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.

Arbour, who led New York to four straight Stanley Cup titles in the early 1980s and 12 straight trips to the playoffs, had two previous stints with the club, serving as coach from 1973-1986 and again from 1988-1994. Saturday's game will be the 1,500th of his coaching career - the most by any coach with one team.

The 75-year-old has 781 career victories as an NHL coach, trailing only Scotty Bowman (1,244) on the all-time list.

Following Saturday's game, the Islanders will hold an on-ice ceremony and raise a banner commemorating Arbour's 1,500th game.

"For all the Coach has done for our franchise, we are going to give Al and his family a night they will never forget," New York general manager Garth Snow said. "I'm sure we'll create plenty of memories for our team and our fans, too."

Arbour inherits a team that has won three of its last four games, including a 4-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday when netminder Rick DiPietro stopped 28 shots to notch his 12th career shutout.

DiPietro and Arbour will have to find a way to stop third-year superstar Crosby, who has 31 points in 15 games against the Islanders in his career, the most against any team.

The Penguins have lost three of their last four contests, dropping a 3-2 decision to the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday. Crosby scored both goals in the loss.

The Islanders took the season series 4-3-1 against Pittsburgh last season, although Crosby tallied three goals and 14 assists in seven games.