Red Wings at Islanders
THE STORY: The Detroit Red Wings will be battling more than just the New York Islanders when they pay a visit to the Nassau Coliseum on Tuesday night. Detroit will also be fighting a case of fatigue as it plays its third road game in four nights. The Red Wings earned a split of back-to-back overtime games against Original Six opponents Toronto and Chicago over the weekend, bouncing back from a 4-3 loss to the Maple Leafs with a 3-2 victory over the Blackhawks. Despite New York's last-place standing in the Eastern Conference, it has been a nemesis for Detroit. The Islanders have won the last three meetings between the teams, including a pair of shutouts. New York had won three straight games before ending a three-game road trip with a thud, getting outscored 9-2 in losses at Anaheim and Phoenix on Friday and Saturday night, respectively.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSD, MSG+
ABOUT THE RED WINGS: (26-14-1): Pavel Datsyuk's overtime goal lifted Detroit into a three-way tie with Chicago and the St. Louis Blues atop the Central Division. Datsyuk, who extended his points streak to four games, has 11 goals and 22 assists in his last 25 games. G Jimmy Howard will make his second attempt at his 100th career victory. He owns a league-high 24 wins, but he is 0-2-1 with a 3.55 goals-against average in three starts against the Islanders.
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (14-19-6): G Evgeni Nabokov may be feeling the effects of a heavy workload. He has made eight straight starts since missing more than a month with a groin injury, and surrendered nine goals on 45 shots in his last two outings. New York has few options but to play him with injuries to netminders Al Montoya (concussion) and Rick DiPietro (groin). C John Tavares had an assist in each of the last two to run his points streak to five games.
OVERTIME:
1. The Red Wings are only 1-for-20 on the power play in the last nine games. The Islanders have killed off 19 of 20 shorthanded situations.
2. Nabokov needs two wins to become the 26th goaltender in league history to reach 300 victories. He is 8-17-2 lifetime against Detroit.