Rangers at Islanders
The New York Islanders could have one of their top offensive players back in the lineup when they host the New York Rangers on Tuesday in a crucial Metropolitan Division showdown. According to Newsday, Kyle Okposo - who hasn't played since Jan. 19 due to a detached retina that required emergency surgery - may return to action as the Islanders attempt to extend their division lead over the Rangers to five points. "Ever since I stepped on the ice, I haven't had any hesitations," Okposo told the newspaper. "I've been feeling really good on the ice."
The Islanders - who lead the league with 43 victories and are one point behind Anaheim and Nashville (91) in the race for the Presidents' Trophy - improved to 2-0-2 this month with Monday's 4-3 overtime triumph at Toronto in which they erased a two-goal, third-period deficit before captain John Tavares scored 4:38 into the extra session to complete the comeback. The Rangers, who have four games in hand on their crosstown rivals, are coming off an overtime victory of their own as Derick Brassard scored at the 32-second mark in Chicago on Sunday for a 1-0 win. Cam Talbot made 29 saves en route to his fifth shutout of the season as the Rangers improved to 13-2-3 in their last 18 contests.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NHLN, RSN, TVA, MSG2 (Rangers), MSG Plus (Islanders)
ABOUT THE RANGERS (40-17-7): Talbot was named the NHL's Third Star of the Week on Monday after going 2-0-1 with a 0.99 goals-against average in three contests. The 27-year-old has filled in admirably since Henrik Lundqvist went down with a vascular injury, posting a 10-2-3 record with a pair of shutouts. The Rangers keep winning despite the current struggles of Rich Nash, who is second in the league with 38 goals but has recorded just one in his last six games.
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (43-21-4): Despite missing the last 22 games, Okposo still is second on the team in scoring with 44 points. Tavares leads the club - and the entire NHL - with 72 points after notching a goal and an assist against the Maple Leafs. Tyler Kennedy had an impressive debut for the Islanders on Monday, netting one tally and setting up another.
OVERTIME
1. The Rangers are 1-0-1 on their five-game road trip.
2. The Islanders, who won three of their first four meetings with the Rangers this season, could be without Nick Leddy as the defenseman left Monday's game in the second period with an undisclosed injury and did not return.
3. Tuesday's contest marks the Rangers' final regular-season visit to the Nassau Coliseum as the Islanders will move to Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. for the 2015-16 campaign.