Rangers at Islanders
Captain John Tavares put his best foot forward in the All-Star Game, becoming the sixth player in the contest's history to score four goals to lead Team Toews to victory. Tavares, who recorded three consecutive two-point performances heading into the break, looks to continue his torrid stretch as the Metropolitan Division-leading New York Islanders host the surging New York Rangers on Tuesday. The Islanders have posted a pair of three-goal road victories over their neighborhood rivals, as Tavares collected a goal and an assist in a 6-3 romp on Oct. 14 before fellow All-Star Jaroslav Halak turned aside all 27 shots he faced in a 3-0 triumph on Jan. 13.
While the Islanders have won five of six to push past Pittsburgh in their quest for their first division title since 1988, the Rangers reside five points behind coach Jack Capuano's club after winning three in a row and 16 of their last 19 overall. The NHL's co-leader in goals with Dallas' Tyler Seguin, Rick Nash scored twice to lift Team Toews to victory on Sunday and also tallied twice in the first meeting with the Islanders. Perhaps the only thing threatening to slow either club down is the blizzard that may bring historic levels of snow into the area.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG (Rangers), MSG Plus (Islanders)
ABOUT THE RANGERS (27-13-4): Martin St. Louis set up a goal in the Rangers' 3-2 overtime victory over Ottawa last Tuesday and has notched four assists in his last three games. The 39-year-old also set up a goal in the teams' first meeting and has 14 tallies and 24 assists in 49 career contests against the Islanders. Chris Kreider, who scored versus the Senators, has recorded five goals and four assists in his last 10 games.
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (31-14-1): Tavares' linemate Kyle Okposo is expected to miss six-to-eight weeks with an upper-body injury, Capuano told the team's website. The coach did not reveal how or when the injury was suffered by the 26-year-old Okposo, whose 44 points (14 goals, 30 assists) trail only Tavares (45) for the team lead. Mikhail Grabovski, who has been sidelined with a lower-body injury, joined Tavares and Josh Bailey on the team's top line in practice on Monday and is expected to return versus the Rangers.
OVERTIME
1. Should the NHL postpone Tuesday's contest, Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum is available the following night.
2. The Islanders, who own a 16-4-0 home record this season, are 15-2-0 overall against Metropolitan rivals.
3. Halak has won four straight and six of seven against the Rangers.