After recovering from letting victory slip from their grasps, the New York Islanders (32-27-15) host the Chicago Blackhawks (22-47-5) in the second game of a back-to-back.
After recovering from letting victory slip from their grasps, the New York Islanders (32-27-15) host the Chicago Blackhawks (22-47-5) in the second game of a back-to-back.
Puck drop from UBS Arena is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
The last time the Islanders faced Chicago was Jan. 19, Lane Lambert's final game as Islanders head coach. Brock Nelson opened the scoring for New York in the first period, but the Blackhawks tallied three straight goals between the second and third frames.
However, New York rallied for two goals from Bo Horvat and Kyle Palmieri to tie the game, forcing the game into overtime.
The extra session was brief, as Seth Jones finished the game 22 seconds in and gave Chicago a 4-3 win.
New York enters play Tuesday three points out of the Washington Capitals and Detroit Red Wings for the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. Washington holds the tiebreaker by virtue of games in hand and will face the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday.
Where They've Been:
Chicago defeated the Islanders' Monday night adversary in the Flyers on Saturday night. Lukas Reichel and Philipp Kurashev scored goals in the first period to give Chicago a 2-0 lead.
Despite a Tyson Foerster to cut the lead in half 17 seconds into the second, the Blackhawks responded with three-straight goals from Nick Foligno, Joey Anderson, and MacKenzie Entwistle.
Arvid Soderblom stopped all but one of his 25 shots faced to propel Chicago to a 5-1 win.
Players To Watch:
After getting some rest over the past three games, Ilya Sorokin will return to the crease for his 52nd start of the season (22-19-11). Sorokin has been in the midst of a deep slump, dropping six-straight outings and letting up at least three goals in each of his last five games.
His last outing came against the New Jersey Devils on March 24, letting up three goals on 29 shots in the loss. Against Chicago, he is 2-0-1 with a 2.00 GAA and .930 SV%, despite letting up four goals on 24 shots to drop their last meeting.
Horvat and Nelson each recorded their 30th goal of the season on Monday, marking the third straight year they've reached the plateau. Horvat's goal also gave him his 500th career NHL point. Nelson has goals in three straight games against the Blackhawks
Horvat's goal in their last meeting gives him 11 red lights and 20 points against the Blackhawks for his career to lead active Islanders. Palmieri, who assisted on Nelson's overtime winner, leads in assists with 11.
Petr Mrazek is projected to be in net for his 49th start of the season on Tuesday (17-27-4, 3.05 GAA, .905 SV%). Mrazek last started on March 28 against the Ottawa Senators, letting up two goals on 34 shots in a loss. Against the Islanders, he is 9-5-2 with a 2.95 GAA and .895 SV%, earning the win in their last meeting with 27 saves.
Tuesday's game will mark the first time the Islanders will see Connor Bedard in his NHL career. Bedard, an All-Star selection, leads the team with 21 goals, 36 assists and 57 points.
Three different Blackhawks forwards had two points in Saturday's game, including Anderson, Kurashev, and Reichel. Four Chicago players had multiple points in their last meeting with the Islanders, including Jason Dickinson, who had a goal and two assists.
Nick Foligno, who did not play in their last meeting with the Islanders, leads Chicago offensively. The former Columbus Blue Jackets forward has 13 goals and 10 assists, 29 points, against New York; Taylor Hall tops rostered players with 16 red lights and 13 helpers but is out for the season.
New York Islanders Projected Lines:
Casey Cizikas -- Bo Horvat -- Mathew Barzal
Pierre Engvall -- Brock Nelson -- Kyle Palmieri
Anders Lee -- Jean-Gabriel Pageau -- Hudson Fasching
Matt Martin -- Kyle MacLean -- Cal Clutterbuck
Alexander Romanov -- Noah Dobson
Adam Pelech -- Ryan Pulock
Mike Reilly -- Robert Bortuzzo
Ilya Sorokin
Semyon Varlamov
Chicago Blackhawks Projected Lines:
Connor Bedard -- Jason Dickinson -- Philipp Kurashev
Nick Foligno -- Tyler Johnson -- Taylor Raddysh
Lukas Reichel -- Andreas Athanasiou -- Joey Anderson
Landon Slaggert -- Mackenzie Entwistle -- Ryan Donato
Alex Vlasic -- Seth Jones
Kevin Korchinski -- Jaycob Megna
Jarred Tinordi -- Wyatt Kaiser
Arvid Soderblom
Petr Mrazek
How to Watch:
Tuesday night's game will air on MSGSN2. On the radio, the game will be available on 88.7 FM WRHU, 103.9 LI News Radio and 1050 AM ESPN.