Maple Leafs at Islanders
With a significant milestone now in the rear-view mirror, the New York Islanders can get back to their primary focus: staying near the top of the Eastern Conference standings. The Islanders continue their four-game homestand Thursday night as they welcome the woeful Toronto Maple Leafs to Long Island. New York is coming off a 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers; it was the team’s 35th win of 2014-15, one more victory than it had all of last season.
While the Islanders continue winning, the Maple Leafs just can’t seem to stop losing. Toronto was once battling New York and others for one of the top spots in the conference, but is in the midst of an unbelievable stretch that has seen it win just four of its last 24 games. The Maple Leafs are coming off a 5-4 defeat at the hands of the New York Rangers - a game in which star forward Phil Kessel was demoted to the fourth line and finished with a minus-4 rating.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, TSN4 (Toronto), MSG-Plus (New York)
ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (23-28-4): Interim coach Peter Horachek was thoroughly dissatisfied with what he was watching during Tuesday night’s loss to the Rangers, so he demoted Kessel and reduced ice time for a number of other key forwards. “It’s about the whole team,” Horachek said of his decisions. “This isn’t just about whether or not Phil does what he does or doesn’t do. I think the whole team has to be better. It’s not about one player. Everybody has to compete."
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (35-18-1): New York defenseman Calvin de Haan survived a major scare over the weekend after taking a skate to the visor from Bruins forward Chris Kelly in a game in Boston. “I feel pretty lucky,” said de Haan, who has a 10-stitch cut next to his right eye and a nasty shiner. “It kind of blindsided me. I was a bit in shock.” Coach Jack Capuano decided to sit de Haan for Sunday’s game in Buffalo and Tuesday’s home return against Edmonton, but the 23-year-old may be back in the lineup Thursday.
OVERTIME1. The teams have split their last 10 meetings dating back to January 2012.
2. The winning club has scored at least five goals in each of their last eight encounters.
3. Kessel played just 12:51 against the Rangers, his second-lowest total of the season.