Senators at Islanders
THE STORY: Two of the hottest forwards in the Eastern Conference do battle Monday afternoon when Jason Spezza leads the surging Ottawa Senators into Long Island for a meeting with John Tavares and the Islanders. Spezza has been sensational during a five-game scoring streak, recording five goals and eight assists. Ottawa has gone 3-1-1 in those contests to move back into second place in the Northeast Division. Tavares is coming off a three-point effort in the Islanders' 4-3 triumph over Carolina on Saturday night.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, Rogers Sportsnet East, MSG Plus
ABOUT THE SENATORS (30-22-8): Ottawa outscored Tampa Bay and Florida 10-2 in consecutive victories last week, and has had four days of rest to prepare for Monday's contest. In other words, things are a lot cheerier in the Canadian capital now that the Senators have put a seven-game winless stretch behind them. Maintaining their winning ways will be imperative, as they face the prospect of two games with the defending-champion Boston Bruins before the month is out.
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (25-25-8): New York has alternated wins and losses throughout the month of February, an unproductive stretch for a team that needs to catch fire in order to end its playoff drought. The Islanders enter Monday's action six points out of the eighth and final post-season berth in the Eastern Conference, and with a handful of games remaining against their Atlantic Division opponents - each of whom ranks in the top six in the conference - things aren't going to get any easier from here.
OVERTIME:
1. The Islanders prevailed in their previous head-to-head encounter, with Mark Eaton scoring the overtime winner in a 2-1 triumph earlier this month.
2. Spezza has eight goals and 16 assists in 26 career games against the Islanders, who originally owned the second overall pick the Senators used to select Spezza in the 2001 draft.
3. Ottawa has won 38 of the past 58 meetings with the Islanders.