Panthers at Islanders
THE STORY: The Florida Panthers made the most of their first matinee game of the season on Saturday. On the heels of a 3-1 triumph over the New Jersey Devils, coach Kevin Dineen's club will look to repeat the feat nearly 24 hours later when it visits the New York Islanders. While Southeast Division-leading Florida has won four of its last six games, New York improved to 7-2-2 in its last 11 with a 2-1 overtime victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday.
TV: 3 p.m. ET, FSFL, MSG+
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (26-17-11): LW Sean Bergenheim scored as Florida recorded just its second road win in 12 contests on Saturday. Bergenheim has collected nine points in as many games and will look to keep his good fortune going against New York, a franchise with which he spent his first five NHL seasons. D Jason Garrison suffered an undisclosed lower-body injury during the second period of Saturday's game. Garrison is unlikely to play on Sunday, according to Dineen.
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (23-23-8): Mark Streit has never been considered a goal-scoring machine, but the captain has tallied in back-to-back games, including the overtime winner on Saturday. Streit also scored in the clubs' last meeting, but Florida skated to a 4-2 victory on Oct. 22. G Evgeni Nabokov turned aside 29 shots on that night but suffered his first loss as a member of the Islanders.
OVERTIME:
1. Florida has struggled in the latter of half of back-to-back contests this season. The Panthers are just 2-5-1 in such games and have been outscored by a 34-14 margin this season.
2. All-Star John Tavares has just one assist in his last five games, but has recorded five goals in 10 career contests versus Florida. He also tallied in the last meeting.