Flames at Islanders
The Calgary Flames attempt to conclude their season-high six-game road trip with a winning record as they visit the struggling New York Islanders on Monday. Calgary won three of the first four games on its trek before dropping a 5-3 decision Sunday in Philadelphia.
The three-goal performance was quite the offensive outburst for the Flames, as they reached that total for just the third time in their last 15 contests. New York, which has swept the two-game series against Calgary each of the last two seasons, returns home from a three-game trip to California on which it produced only one victory while scoring two goals in each contest. The Islanders have had two days off since suffering a 3-2 loss in San Jose that dropped them to 3-7-4 over their last 14 games. Anders Lee appears to be heating up for the Islanders, as the left wing has scored three goals in his last two contests after recording just one over his first 18 matches.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Sportsnet West (Calgary), MSG Plus (New York)
ABOUT THE FLAMES (10-13-1): Calgary has struggled on the penalty kill this season, ranking 29th in the league (75.8 percent) after a 5-for-6 showing against the Flyers, but it has been dangerous offensively when down a skater. The Flames lead the NHL with five short-handed goals as defenseman TJ Brodie and Alex Chiasson each scored one in Sunday's setback. Kris Versteeg received 13 1/2 minutes of ice time versus Philadelphia after missing one game with an upper-body injury and nine of the previous 10 with a groin strain.
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (6-10-4): Cal Clutterbuck returned to the lineup Friday after missing one game with an upper-body injury, and New York is hoping to have a pair of defensemen back soon. Dennis Seidenberg, who is tied for the team lead in goals among blue-liners with four, has been out with an upper-body injury since Nov. 12 but skated on his own Sunday while Ryan Pulock, who suffered a lower-body injury in his season debut Oct. 21, was a full participant in practice and is getting close to returning. "He's getting to where he needs to be, medical-wise," coach Jack Capuano told the team's website. "That's a decision we're going to have to make — do we put him back in or get some conditioning in Bridgeport (of the American Hockey League). That will be (general manager Garth Snow's) decision going forward."
OVERTIME
1. Islanders captain John Tavares, who will pass Pat LaFontaine (530) for 22nd place on the franchise list in games played with his next appearance, shares the team lead with five goals but enters Monday with a nine-game drought.
2. Calgary rookie LW Matthew Tkachuk tied RW Michael Frolik for the team lead by scoring his sixth goal Sunday.
3. New York C Josh Bailey's next assist will tie him with Jeff Norton (166) for 24th in team history while Tavares needs two points to pull even with Pat Flatley (488) for 11th place.