Sidney Crosby is arguably the best player in the NHL, but even he needs some assistance. Evgeni Malkin's return from a shoulder injury has provided exactly what he was lacking.

Looking to continue their dominance of the New York Islanders, Crosby and the Penguins seek their fourth straight victory when the teams meet Friday afternoon at Nassau Coliseum.

Malkin missed seven straight games earlier this month to recover from a nagging shoulder injury, and the Penguins (17-8-0) struggled to a 2-5-0 mark during that span, managing one total goal in the final three contests. His absence was particularly hard on Crosby, who was limited to one goal and two assists in those seven games, including a career-worst five-game pointless drought.

Malkin returned Nov. 14 and combined with Crosby for a goal and five assists in a 6-5 overtime victory over Boston. Crosby has three goals and six assists in his last seven games - six with Malkin in the lineup.

The Pittsburgh captain had another productive game Wednesday night, tallying a goal and an assist in a 3-1 victory over visiting Montreal. Bill Guerin and Sergei Gonchar also scored for the Penguins, winners of five of six since a season-high four-game skid.

"We know how we need to play," Crosby told the Penguins' official Web site. "It is much more fun to play that way. We play with a lot of speed and we are tough to play against. We hold on to the puck and we make things easier on ourselves. That is something we want to continue."

With their league-leading 17th victory, the Penguins matched a franchise record for most wins in their first 25 games.The only other seasons they won 17 of their first 25 were 1995-96 (17-5-3) and 1994-95 (17-6-2), when there were tie games.

Making Pittsburgh's success this season even more impressive is the number of injuries they've been forced to endure. Currently missing from the lineup are forwards Tyler Kennedy (lower body) and Chris Kunitz (lower body) and defensemen Jay McKee (finger), Alex Goligoski (lower body) and Kris Letang (shoulder). Gonchar also missed a month with a broken left wrist before returning Nov. 19.

Recent matchups with the Islanders (9-9-7) haven't been much of a problem for Pittsburgh regardless of the team's health. The Penguins are 7-0-1 in the last eight meetings, including a 4-3 shootout victory at Nassau Coliseum on Oct. 3.

Crosby has 13 goals and 33 assists in 26 games against the Islanders while Malkin has nine goals and 19 assists in 23 contests against them. Marc-Andre Fleury is 4-0-1 with a 1.56 goals-against average and a shutout in his last five starts against New York.

The Islanders returned to Long Island following a seven-game road trip Wednesday night and had a four-game home win streak snapped with a 2-1 loss to Philadelphia.

After they were outshot 61-21 by Toronto on Monday, the Islanders outshot the Flyers 29-28 despite registering only one in the third period. That marked the first time in seven games they produced more chances than the opposition.

"The problem was we didn't play enough in the offensive zone to maintain what we did in the first and second period," coach Scott Gordon said. "In the third period we looked to make plays that weren't there and they got sticks on it and counter-attacked."

Dwayne Roloson will be in net for New York for the first time since Monday's brilliant 58-save performance in Toronto. Roloson is 4-0-2 with a 2.26 GAA at home this season.