Maple Leafs at Islanders
THE STORY: The New York Islanders saw a three-game winning streak come to an end Monday with one of their weakest offensive efforts of the season. Fortunately for the Islanders, they get a shot at instant redemption as they host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday in the back end of a home-and-home series. New York managed only 25 shots and few decent scoring chances in a 3-0 defeat at the hands of the Maple Leafs. That brought an end to John Tavares' 12-game point streak, the longest in the league this season. Tavares will look to start another one against a Maple Leafs team that played one of its strongest games of 2012 en route to only its second win in the last six games. The victory moved Toronto into an eighth-place tie with idle Washington in the East race, and with Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin suspended three games for leaving his feet to deliver a hit over the weekend, Toronto has a golden opportunity to take sole possession of the final playoff berth in the conference.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, RS Ontario (Toronto), MSG Plus 2 (New York)
ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (24-19-5): Toronto's penalty killing is perfect in 2012, having killed off all 16 opportunities it has allowed. Facing an Islanders team that had scored three power-play goals in its last three games, the Maple Leafs found the perfect way to avoid any problems - they didn't take any minor penalties. It's the second time in the past seven games Toronto has held an opponent without a power-play chance; the club hasn't allowed more than three man-advantage opportunities since Jan. 3.
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (19-22-6): With another opportunity to gain ground in the East behind them, the Islanders are running out of time as the league prepares for the annual All-Star break. New York is nine points out of eighth place in the conference, and faces a major challenge in the days following its one-week hiatus. The Islanders play three of its first four games after the break away from Long Island, a stretch that includes visits to surging Ottawa and powerhouse Philadelphia.
OVERTIME:
1. Toronto has won four of the last five meetings.
2. Tavares was held off the scoresheet for the first time since Dec. 26. He amassed eight goals and 13 assists over the course of the streak.