Hurricanes at Islanders
Two teams that have played themselves out of postseason contention in the Eastern Conference face off Sunday as the New York Islanders host the Carolina Hurricanes. New York sits 12 points out of the second wild-card spot after winning only one of its last 11 games (1-6-4), while Carolina is 11 back thanks to a stretch during which it has lost five of six.
The Islanders return to action after a disastrous home-and-home series against Washington in which it was outscored 13-6 while being swept. Rookie Mathew Barzal recorded a goal and an assist in Friday's 6-3 setback to move two points ahead of captain John Tavares (70) for the team lead. Carolina is coming off its third straight home loss, a 4-2 setback against Philadelphia on Saturday. Teuvo Teravainen matched Sebastian Aho with an assist in the defeat, remaining one point ahead of his fellow Finn for the team lead with 57.
TV: 5 p.m. ET, FS Carolinas, MSG Plus (New York)
ABOUT THE HURRICANES (30-30-11): Noah Hanifin could miss his first game of the season Sunday after exiting the loss to the Flyers in the third period with an upper-body injury. Aho is riding a four-game point streak during which he has registered two goals and three assists. The 20-year-old right wing leads the team with 25 tallies - one more than his total in 82 games as a rookie last season.
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (30-31-10): Thomas Greiss practiced Saturday for the first time since suffering a lower-body injury against Carolina on Feb. 16 and is expected to be more involved next week before he is able to return. The 32-year-old German has struggled while healthy this season, posting a 3.84 goals-against average and .891 save percentage despite sporting an 11-7-2 record. Defenseman Sebastian Aho is expected to be in the lineup Sunday for the first time since March 2.
OVERTIME
1. Islanders LW Anders Lee is two points shy of 200 for his career.
2. Carolina RW Lee Stempniak's next appearance will be his 900th in the NHL.
3. New York RW Cal Clutterbuck left Friday's contest with a migraine but participated in practice Saturday.