Ducks at Islanders
The Anaheim Ducks visit the New York Islanders on Saturday afternoon for the penultimate stop on their Eastern Conference road trip. Anaheim has one win in three games on the trip as it continues to struggle against the East (15-13-2). The Islanders haven’t fared much better against Western Conference opponents (14-11-2) and are winless in their last six home games (0-5-1).
New York defeated Anaheim 3-2 in overtime on Nov. 5, snapping a three-game losing skid against the Ducks and winning at Honda Center for the first time since 2006. Michal Neuvirth will get the start for the Islanders after Jaroslav Halak was in net for the previous three contests. Frederik Andersen fared well in Anaheim’s 3-2 victory over Boston on Thursday, but John Gibson has played better in March and could start Saturday.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, Prime (Anaheim), MSG Plus (New York)
ABOUT THE DUCKS (47-22-7): Anaheim leads the Western Conference in points despite allowing more goals than any other team in a playoff spot. Corey Perry has four goals and an assist on a four-game point streak. Defenseman Cam Fowler bounced back with a two-assist effort Thursday after being a healthy scratch in the previous game.
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (44-26-5): New York has not allowed a power-play goal in March, killing 25 consecutive penalties. Defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky is nearing return from a lower-body injury after missing the last two weeks. Michael Grabner has been a healthy scratch for four games with just 12 points in 31 contests.
OVERTIME
1. The Ducks are 1-for-14 on the power play in the last five contests.
2. Islanders captain John Tavares has eight points in seven career games against Anaheim.
3. Anaheim is one of the most penalized teams in the league, averaging 11.1 penalty minutes, while New York averages 8.5.