Islanders at Maple Leafs
The New York Islanders are riding a 6-0-2 stretch in April as they attempt to secure their first playoff berth in six seasons. The Islanders kick off a season-ending five-game road trip on Thursday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have not skated in a playoff game since 2004. Toronto has won its last three home games and sits in fifth place in the Eastern Conference, four points ahead of the seventh-place Islanders. A victory for the Maple Leafs coupled with a regulation loss by Winnipeg - which hosts Carolina on Thursday - would clinch a playoff spot for Toronto and end the longest active postseason drought in the NHL.
New York recorded a 7-4 victory over the Maple Leafs in its last visit to Toronto on Jan. 24. The Maple Leafs got a measure of revenge against the Islanders on Feb. 28 when captain Dion Phaneuf scored the winner in a 5-4 overtime triumph on the road. New York netminder Evgeni Nabokov has started the last six games and has not allowed more than two goals in any of his last eight starts. New York is 12-5-2 away from home, trailing only Pittsburgh and Montreal for the best road record in the conference.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG Plus 2, Leafs TV
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (22-16-5): Nabokov is the only member of the Islanders with extensive playoff experience. During his time with San Jose, Nabokov started 78 postseason games and played in two Western Conference finals. Captain Mark Streit leads the team in scoring with eight points this month. John Tavares has six points in April but has been held off the scoresheet in three consecutive games for just the second time this season. Rookie Casey Cizikas left Tuesday’s 5-2 victory over Florida with an upper-body injury and is day-to-day. Brad Boyes has 11 points in 13 games against Northeast Division opponents and three in the last two games against Toronto.
ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (24-14-5): Goaltender James Reimer got some much-needed rest on Tuesday after starting eight straight games for Toronto. He watched from the bench as Ben Scrivens allowed five goals in a 5-1 road loss to Washington. The return of Joffrey Lupul from a concussion could not spark the Maple Leafs, who managed just 13 shots in a 2-0 win over New Jersey on Monday. Phil Kessel is the only Toronto player scoring consistently this month, with six goals and nine points in seven games. Nazem Kadri recorded his first career hat trick against the Islanders on Feb. 28.
OVERTIME
1. Tavares, who is from nearby Mississauga, Ont., has 13 points in 14 career games against Toronto.
2. The Maple Leafs are 8-4-2 against Atlantic Division opponents.
3. Only three players on the Maple Leafs' roster were active in the NHL the last time Toronto made the playoffs: Lupul, John-Michael Liles and Colton Orr.
PREDICTION: Maple Leafs 3, Islanders 2