Islanders at Jets
THE STORY: The New York Islanders have been playing well on the road lately. They will face a big challenge Tuesday, though, against the Winnipeg Jets, who have been on a tear at home. New York has gone 4-1-1 in its last six road games, including a 2-1 shootout triumph over the Northwest Division-leading Minnesota Wild on Saturday that kicked off a three-game road trip. However, the Islanders have lost four of their last five overall. Winnipeg, which is 2-1-0 on its six-game homestand, has won nine of 11 in its own building. Overall, the Jets have captured six of their last eight contests.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, MSG Plus 2 (New York), TSN (Winnipeg)
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (10-14-6): New York has lost five of its last six meetings with the Winnipeg franchise. The Islanders have been struggling offensively of late as they have recorded three goals or less in each of their last five games. Defenseman Travis Hamonic, a native of Manitoba, is excited about playing his first NHL game in his home province. "It’s going be a dream come true," he said. "I grew up a huge NHL fan and having a chance to play an NHL game in my home province like that, so close to home, it’s exciting. It’s going to be an exciting time for me, but maybe even more so for my family."
ABOUT THE JETS (15-13-4): Evander Kane, who leads Winnipeg with 15 goals and 25 points, has gone four games without a tally. Kane's longest drought of the season is five contests, which occurred at the start of the campaign. Ondrej Pavelec has posted two shutouts in 2011-12, including a 3-0 blanking against the Islanders on Nov. 3, when he made 34 saves. Pavelec is 3-3-0 lifetime against New York. Jason Jaffray was assigned to St. John's of the American Hockey League on Monday. The left wing recorded one assist and seven penalty minutes in 13 games with the Jets this season.
OVERTIME:
1. New York is making its first trip to Winnipeg since March 9, 1996, when it posted a 4-2 victory.
2. The road team has won each of the last four meetings.