Hurricanes at Islanders
THE STORY: The New York Islanders will look for their third straight win on Saturday when they host the Carolina Hurricanes. Despite winning six of their last 10 games, the Islanders are in the basement of the Atlantic Division. They sit in the bottom third of the Eastern Conference and are in significant danger of missing the playoffs. The Hurricanes are even worse – dead last in the East. Saturday's contest is the second of four meetings between the two teams this season. The Islanders won the first game 4-3 in a shootout on Jan. 3 in Carolina. Frans Nielsen had a goal and an assist in regulation and also netted the shootout winner for the Islanders. All-Star John Tavares collected three assists and Evgeni Nabokov made 37 saves.
TV: 7 p.m. ET. FS-CR (HD), MSG Plus
ABOUT THE HURRICANES (17-24-8): The Hurricanes sent LW Alexei Ponikarovsky to New Jersey for minor-league defenseman Joe Sova and a draft pick late Thursday. Ponikarovsky has recorded seven goals and eight assists in 49 games this season. Carolina, which is 5-13-5 on the road this season, is coming off a 3-0 win over the Southeast Division-leading Washington Capitals. Cam Ward made 23 saves for his second shutout of the season and 18th career. Jussi Jokinen scored both a power play and shorthanded goal to lead the offense. Jiri Tlusty also scored and captain Eric Staal collected a pair of assists. The Hurricanes are 3-1-1 in their last five outings.
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (18-21-6): New York, which is 10-11-3 on home ice this season, is coming off a rare 4-1 win over the Flyers in Philadelphia. The Islanders' win was just the third in 29 meetings between the division rivals. Matt Moulson, Josh Bailey, captain Mark Streit and Michael Grabner scored for New York. Streit’s tally came on the power play, while Bailey’s shorthanded goal served as his 100th NHL point. Tavares collected two assists and Nabokov made 40 saves, narrowly missing his second consecutive shutout. He had his shutout streak snapped at 1:33:50.
OVERTIME:
1. Tavares extended his career-best point streak to 11 games against the Flyers. He has six goals and 13 assists in that span. It matches Boston’s David Krejci for the longest point streak this season.
2. Jokinen’s shorthanded goal was the eighth this season for Carolina, which is second in the NHL in that regard. New Jersey has scored 11.
3. Staal has points in four straight home games.