Islanders at Lightning
The New York Islanders have not been able to stop Tampa Bay right wing Nikita Kucherov of late and must find the answers quickly Thursday when they visit the Lightning to start a two-game Sunshine State trip. Kucherov scored four goals in five games during the Eastern Conference semifinal playoff series against the Islanders and recorded two goals and two assists in a 6-1 victory at New York on Nov. 1.
“He can just make plays at a really high rate of speed,” Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper told reporters of Kucherov, who was named the NHL’s No. 1 star of the week Monday. “But the one thing for him is he has the ability to make other guys better.” Kucherov leads the way in assists (11) and points (15) for the Lightning, who have matched New York with just two wins in their last seven games. The Islanders have points in three straight, following up a pair of shootout losses with a 4-2 victory over struggling Vancouver on Monday. Captain John Tavares leads New York with five goals this season and boasts 26 points in 24 career regular-season games versus Tampa Bay, but was limited in the playoff series against the Lightning last May.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, MSG Plus (New York), FSN Sun (Tampa Bay)
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (5-6-2): New York was 11th in the league in scoring through Tuesday’s games without much help from the power play, which is 4-for-37 overall and 1-for-14 in the last five contests. Tavares tops the team with 11 points -- one better than Brock Nelson (leg), who reportedly is feeling better and expects to play after suffering an injury in Monday’s game. Defenseman Dennis Seidenberg has been a solid budget signing for the Islanders with four goals and eight points to go along with a plus-10 rating while forward Andrew Ladd has struggled (one goal, two points).
ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (7-5-1): While forward Jonathan Drouin (concussion) does not have a time table for a return, center Valtteri Filppula (lower-body) practiced Wednesday after missing Monday’s contest. The Lightning posted 35 shots in the 3-1 loss at Florida on Monday as Kucherov and captain Steven Stamkos (seven goals, 14 points) were both kept off the scoresheet. Brayden Point was expected to be sent to the minors when Ryan Callahan returned from injury, but the rookie forward has been impressive with five points and 31 shots – tied for second on the team.
OVERTIME
1. The Islanders reassigned F Mathew Barzal to Seattle of the Western Hockey League on Wednesday.
2. New York Gs Thomas Greiss and Jarolsav Halak both own .908 save percentages.
3. The Lightning have won five consecutive meetings in the series, including the final four of their playoff matchup last season.