Islanders at Canadiens
After lighting up the tabloids with a mysterious illness, captain John Tavares looks to return from a three-game absence on Thursday when the New York Islanders visit the Montreal Canadiens. Tavares was an active participant in practice on Wednesday, one day removed from the Islanders' snapping a three-game winless skid (0-1-2) with a 2-1 triumph over Metropolitan Division-rival New Jersey.
"I felt pretty good on the ice today ... I'm certainly close to where I was," Tavares told Newsday on Tuesday. Tavares has collected three goals and seven assists in his last eight meetings with Montreal, but the team hasn't been as fortunate. The Canadiens won all three encounters last season and six of the last seven in the series. Carey Price traditionally has been in net for those contests, but rookie Mike Condon is expected to receive his fourth straight start with the reigning Hart and Vezina Trophy recipient nursing a lower-body injury.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, MSG-Plus (New York), City, RDS (Montreal)
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (7-3-3): Predictably, the Islanders have struggled offensively without Tavares as they mustered just five goals in his absence. The team's fourth line (Casey Cizikas, Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck) has been on the ice for three of the four goals the team has scored at even strength over the last four contests. Conversely, Kyle Okposo has been limited to six shots on goal while being held off the scoresheet in each of his last four games.
ABOUT THE CANADIENS (11-2-1): Dale Weise scored in Montreal's 2-1 setback to Ottawa on Tuesday to increase his goal total to seven, which is just three shy of his career high set last season. "I'm playing with some great players," Weise told reporters. "(David Desharnais) is so underrated it's not even funny. (Tomas Fleischmann) has amazing hands. I'm just going to try and stay consistent and try to put in as many as I can." Captain Max Pacioretty is even with Weise for the team lead in goals, but he has been held off the scoresheet in each of the last five contests.
OVERTIME
1. Montreal has eight players that have reached double digits in points while New York has one (Tavares, 11).
2. Islanders G Jaroslav Halak is 4-1-0 with a 2.01 goals-against average in five career outings versus his former team.
3. Montreal and New York will play their entire three-game season series in a 2 1/2-week span. The clubs will meet at Barclays Center on Nov. 20 before playing again at the Bell Centre two nights later.