Senators at Islanders
The New York Islanders will play their last home game of their penultimate season at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum when they host the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday. The Islanders have not fared well at home, posting a 13-18-9 record. The Senators are almost mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, but they have a winning road record (17-14-8) and defeated the New York Rangers 3-2 at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.
The Islanders have defeated the Senators twice already, winning 5-4 in a shootout on Nov. 1 and 2-1 on April 2 - both times at Ottawa. Goaltender Craig Anderson will start for the Senators after ceding the net to Robin Lehner on Saturday. New York was shut out for the sixth time and allowed three power-play goals on Sunday as the team prepares to make another top-five selection at the NHL entry draft in June.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Sportsnet East, TVA, MSG Plus
ABOUT THE SENATORS (33-31-14): Defenseman Jared Cowen did not travel with the team due to his lower-body injury but hopes to return to the lineup Thursday when Ottawa hosts the New Jersey Devils. The line of Mika Zibanejad, Chris Neil and Zack Smith is producing in the absence of scorers like Bobby Ryan, recording four goals and two assists over the last two games. Captain Jason Spezza scored for the first time since March 24 on Saturday, recording his eighth career 20-goal season.
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (31-36-11): Calvin de Haan sat out Sunday’s game with a leg injury, making fellow defenseman Scott Mayfield the 12th rookie to make his debut with New York this season. Michael Grabner returned briefly from a concussion on Saturday but missed Sunday’s game and is considered questionable to face Ottawa. Evgeni Nabokov and Anders Nilsson have been alternating starts recently, making the former the likely starter for Tuesday.
OVERTIME
1. The Islanders are 11-6-4 against Atlantic Division opponents.
2. New York has not defeated Ottawa at home in regulation since Feb. 5, 2011.
3. The Senators will be mathematically eliminated from playoff contention if Columbus earns another point.