Red Wings at Islanders
The New York Islanders look to regain sole possession of second place in the Metropolitan Division when they wrap up a four-game homestand against the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday. The Islanders are winless in their last seven home contests (0-6-1) and have seen Pittsburgh pull even in points with a game in hand. Both New York and Detroit are playing their second contest in as many days after competing in afternoon games on Saturday.
The Red Wings and Islanders split a pair of games in the Motor City earlier in the season, with New York winning 2-1 in December and Detroit prevailing 4-1 in January. Jaroslav Halak is expected to start versus the Red Wings after Michal Neuvirth was in net for the Islanders's 3-2 loss to Anaheim on Saturday, while Petr Mrazek has been confirmed as the starter for Detroit. Mrazek posted a 23-save shutout in a 4-0 win over Tampa Bay on Saturday and appears to be stealing the starting job away from Jimmy Howard, who allowed eight goals on 32 shots in his last two starts.
TV: 5 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Detroit Plus, MSG Plus (New York)
ABOUT THE RED WINGS (40-22-12): Pavel Datsyuk played on Saturday for the first time since suffering a lower-body injury on March 15. Erik Cole missed the contest with an upper-body injury and is expected to miss Sunday’s game. Justin Abdelkader has a goal in each of his last four games and 10 tallies in 13 March contests.
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (44-27-5): Halak is having his best month statistically since November with a 1.99 goals-against average and .934 save percentage in seven March starts. Veteran defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky scored Saturday in his first game since March 13 due to a lower-body injury. Mikhail Grabovski is not close to returning from a concussion, according to coach Jack Capuano.
OVERTIME
1. Detroit is 12-6-2 against Metropolitan Division opponents, while the Islanders are 10-10-2 against the Atlantic.
2. Islanders F Brock Nelson recorded a goal and two assists in the two previous meetings with Detroit.
3. The Red Wings haven’t defeated the Islanders in consecutive meetings since 2003.