Islanders at Hurricanes
THE STORY: The chance to escape the Eastern Conference basement is on the line when the Carolina Hurricanes host the New York Islanders on Tuesday. The teams are buried at the bottom of the conference with 32 points apiece, but the Islanders' prospects are a bit brighter since they have four games in hand on the Hurricanes. New York is also coming off one of its better two-game stretches of the season, posting dominating home wins over Calgary and Edmonton. The Islanders will look to translate that success to the road, where they have only five wins. The only team in the conference with fewer home wins is Carolina with four. "Consistency has been our problem all year," Islanders center Frans Nielsen said. The same holds true for the Hurricanes, who had won three of four before getting blitzed at Tampa Bay 5-2 on New Year's Eve.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG Plus (New York)
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (13-17-6): New York got a combined 11 points from its top line of John Tavares, Matt Moulson and P.A. Parenteau in the wins over Calgary and Edmonton. Perhaps more important for the team’s hopes going forward was the play of goaltender Evgeni Nabokov, who earned both victories while turning aside 57 of 59 shots. Nabokov had missed more than a month with a groin injury and had lost three straight starts before stifling the Flames and Oilers.
ABOUT THE HURRICANES (13-21-6): Carolina got a welcome sight Monday when center Jeff Skinner skated with the team for the first time since suffering a concussion Dec. 7. The reigning Calder Trophy winner has yet to be cleared for practice, but said he felt good and hasn’t had any issues. The 19-year-old Skinner was leading the team in scoring with 12 goals and 12 assists in 30 games at the time of the injury. He has missed 10 games.
OVERTIME:
1. The Hurricanes have won six consecutive meetings with the Islanders.
2. Carolina captain Eric Staal has 19 goals and 10 assists in 27 games against New York.
3. Goaltender Cam Ward has been a nemesis for the Islanders, posting a 14-2-1 career record against them.