Game Preview: Islanders vs Lightning

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (32-31-10) VS TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING (43-25-5)

7:30 PM | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS

WATCH: ESPN+ HULU

LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | ISLANDERS + UBS ARENA APP

The New York Islanders look to snap a three-game losing streak and a five-game winless stretch (0-3-2) when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night at UBS Arena.

The Isles are returning home after dropping a pair of games on a weekend back-to-back, falling 5-3 in Tampa on Saturday and 6-4 in Carolina on Sunday. Add in a 5-2 loss vs Vancouver last week and the Isles have allowed at least five goals in three straight games for the first time since April 21-24, 2022.

The Lightning haven’t played since Saturday’s matchup, which was Tampa’s third-straight win. The Bolts have struck plenty over the past three games, racking up 19 goals over that span. Tampa (91 points, 73 GP) is currently second in the Atlantic Division, three points back of the Toronto Maple Leafs (94 points, 74 GP) and tied with the third place Florida Panthers.

STANDINGS IMPLICATIONS:

The Islanders (74 points, 73 GP) are three points back of the Montreal Canadiens (77 points) for the second wild card berth in the Eastern Conference. Montreal hosts Florida on Tuesday.

Here’s the standings as of Tuesday morning, as well as opponents:

Montreal Canadiens 77 points, 73 GP | vs FLA
New York Rangers 77 points, 74 GP | No game Tues.
Columbus Blue Jackets 75 points, 72 GP | vs NSH
Detroit Red Wings 74 points, 73 GP | at STL

SEASON SERIES:

The Isles are 1-1-0 against the Bolts this season, splitting the first two games at Amalie Arena. The Islanders scored a 3-2 OT win over Lightning on Feb. 1, while Tampa beat New York 5-3 on Mar. 29.

MORNING SKATE UPDATES:

- Ilya Sorokin was the first goalie off the ice at morning skate, suggesting he'll start against Tampa.

- Andrei Vasilevskiy was the first goalie off the ice at Tampa's morning skate, suggesting he'll start against the Isles.

ISLES NOTES:

- Anders Lee tied Brent Sutter and Pat LaFontaine for sixth on the club’s all-time goals list on Sunday. His next goal will move him into sole possession of sixth. Lee leads the Islanders with 27 goals this season and his 50 points is second to Bo Horvat’s 51. Lee has hit the 50-point plateau five times now in his career.

- Pierre Engvall recorded his first-career, multi-goal game on Sunday. Engvall has four goals in his last seven games and is tied with Lee and Horvat for most Isles goals since the trade deadline.

- The Islanders power play has scored in two straight games, just the second time this season the Isles have scored a power-play goal in consecutive games.

- The Islanders have allowed four shorthanded goals in the past 10 games and eight shorthanded goals this season, the most they’ve allowed since the 2017-18 season (11).

\- Ilya Sorokin is the expected starter for Tuesday’s game. Sorokin has started both games against the Lightning this season and is 3-6-0 against Tampa in his career with a 3.48 GAA and a .876 SV%.

BOLTS NOTES:

- Nikita Kucherov has recorded back-to-back four-point games, with one goal and three assists in each contest, earning the NHL’s First Star of the Week honors. Kucherov has goals in four straight games and points in eight straight, totaling 17 points (5G, 12A) over that span. Kucherov has 109 points (33G, 76A) in 69 games this season.

- The Lightning are the only team in the NHL to boast four, 30-goal scorers in Brayden Point (38), Jake Guentzel (37), Brandon Hagel (33) and Kucherov (33).

- Point is riding a three-game goal streak with four tallies over that span – and five total pints. Point has six total goals in his last five games. Point has 21 points (9G, 12A) in 22 career games against the Islanders.

- Hagel is enjoying a career year, setting new highs in goals (33), assists (48) and points (81). Hagel has eight points (2G, 6A) during a six-game point streak.

- The Lightning are averaging the second-most goals per game in the NHL this season (3.59).

- Tampa’s streak of four games with a power-play goal was snapped on Saturday, though the Lightning did score on a delayed penalty in a six-on-five situation.

- Andrei Vasilevskiy is the expected starter for the Lightning. Vasilevskiy is 35-19-3 this season with a 2.18 GAA, a .921 SV% and six shutouts. Vasilevskiy is 13-4-1 lifetime against the Islanders with a 2.09 GAA, a .936 SV% and three shutouts.