Islanders at Coyotes
After being limited to just one goal in consecutive contests, the New York Islanders look to locate their offense against a team that was blitzed for seven goals in its last outing. Brock Nelson netted both tallies for the Islanders, who look to prevent their first three-game losing skid in six weeks on Saturday when they visit the Arizona Coyotes.
Nelson scored a goal and set up another in New York's 5-2 victory over Arizona on Nov. 16, but his costly turnover led to a late tally in a 2-1 setback to Colorado on Thursday. "Sure it's frustrating," Nelson told Newsday of the modest losing streak. "We did some good things, just not enough." While New York is struggling to score, Arizona had little success preventing Columbus from doing the same as the Coyotes fell to 1-6-1 in December with a 7-5 loss on Thursday. "We’re a poor, poor team with the puck," coach Dave Tippett told the Arizona Republic. “We don’t defend very well, and we got poor goaltending. That leads to five, six, seven goals a night against, and you’re never going to win in this league like that."
TV: 9 p.m. ET, MSG-Plus2 (New York), FSN Arizona
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (18-10-5): Captain John Tavares tallied twice in last month's meeting with Arizona, but has been held off the scoresheet in six of his last seven games overall. Tavares will be without linemate Kyle Okposo (team-leading 26 points), who is expected to miss the next two contests with a nagging lower-body injury. Anders Lee, who will be bumped up to the top line, has failed to score a goal in each of his last 12 games.
ABOUT THE COYOTES (14-15-2): Anders Lindback (four goals on 10 shots) was taken to task in Arizona's first game without veteran goaltender Mike Smith, who is expected to miss 8-to-10 weeks due to a core muscle injury. "I just think it's one bad game and just throw it away and be better (in the) next one," said Lindback, who did not practice on Friday due to illness. Should the 27-year-old Swede remain under the weather, backup Louis Domingue will receive his first start of the season after stopping eight of 10 shots in relief on Thursday.
OVERTIME
1. Arizona C Martin Hanzal, who scored in the first meeting with New York, practiced on Friday and could return to the lineup following a four-game absence with a lower-body injury.
2. The Islanders have thwarted all 26 short-handed situations over the last 11 games.
3. Coyotes D Zbynek Michalek is expected to miss his third straight contest with a lower-body injury.