UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- One reason for the New York Islanders' success this season has been their ability to prevent short slumps from turning into long ones. They'll be trying to do that Tuesday when the Florida Panthers make their final regular-season visit to Nassau Coliseum.

The Islanders have lost back-to-back games, against the Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings, and a third consecutive loss would match their longest streak of the season. They enter the game in first place in the Metropolitan Division, one point ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

"It's a scary thing when you start losing; each game becomes more important," Islanders forward Matt Martin said after the morning skate Tuesday. "You want to cut the losing streaks down to a minimum, and hopefully we can get back on track tonight. Everybody else is going to freak out, but we still have confidence in this room in the team we have and where we are in the standings. We just have to go out there and play our game."

UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- The New York Islanders are going from one big rivalry to another.

Three days after they ended a seven-game road trip by shutting out the New York Rangers, the Islanders return to Nassau Coliseum to host the Pittsburgh Penguins, the team they lead by one point for first place in the Metropolitan Division.

"They're going to come out hard," Islanders captain John Tavares said of the Penguins. "They're a proven team, a lot of skill. We can't give them anything easy. We have to be disciplined in terms of taking penalties and just in our own game."

UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- The New York Islanders called up goaltender Kevin Poulin from the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the American Hockey League on an emergency basis Tuesday with goalie Jaroslav Halak not dressing for the game against the Montreal Canadiens at Nassau Coliseum.

New York has won four in a row, including a 3-1 home victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday. Halak, a former Canadiens player, was in goal for the four wins, but coach Jack Capuano said backup Chad Johnson will start against Montreal.

"It's a big game for him, and he's excited to get in there and play," Capuano said, adding Halak needed "another maintenance day."

UNIONDALE, N.Y. – The New York Islanders’ “Kid Line” is playing some grown-up hockey.

Brock Nelson, Ryan Strome and Anders Lee, each of whom is a first or second-year player, are a big reason the Islanders bring a 22-10-0 record into their game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Nassau Coliseum on Saturday.

Nelson and Lee did all the scoring Friday when the Islanders edged the Detroit Red Wings 2-1 at Joe Louis Arena. Nelson’s goal was his team-high 14th and Lee’s was his sixth. Strome has six goals and 21 points, and he’s a team-high plus-12.

UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- The Chicago Blackhawks will be at full strength up front Saturday when they try for their ninth consecutive victory.

Chicago captain Jonathan Toews, who left the Blackhawks’ 3-2 road victory against the Boston Bruins on Thursday in the second period after being checked face-first into the end boards, took part in the morning skate and will be in the lineup against the New York Islanders.

“I feel great,” said Toews, who has a history of concussions. “I felt fine after the hit and in the third period, but the training staff held me back as a precaution.”

Coach Joel Quenneville said Toews was kept out of the remainder of the game against the Bruins after the hit by defenseman Dennis Seidenberg as a precaution. “He wanted to play,” Quenneville said. “But there are certain protocols you have to go through. We followed it and he’s ready to go.”

Chicago has been on a tear for nearly a month. The Blackhawks have won eight in a row, 11 of 12, and 13 of 15 games since Nov. 9. They’ve moved into first place in the Central Division and are second in the overall standings.

“Consistency,” Quenneville said when asked what he’s liked about his team’s play. “I like the four-line rotation; real solid across the board and everybody’s playing the right way. The penalty-killing has been great; our goaltending all year has been excellent. We’ve got a little momentum, a little excitement within our team right now. Everybody’s excited about playing games. We’ve got a little confidence that we didn’t see earlier in the year.”

UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- November has been a nightmare for the New York Islanders in recent years, a month where good starts seem to fall apart.

But not this season.

The Islanders host the New Jersey Devils at Nassau Coliseum on Saturday looking for their 11th win in 14 games this month. They are 16-7-0 despite a 5-2 road loss to the Washington Capitals on Friday, and this is their best November in recent memory.

"We have to take care of business tonight, but it's been a successful November for us," forward Kyle Okposo said after the Islanders optional morning skate. "It started to turn around for us in Anaheim and we started to believe after that game [a 3-2 overtime victory]. Then L.A., playing them back-to-back [winning 2-1 in a shootout the next night], and we started to realize what kind of a team we have in here. When we play the right way, the way we want to play, we're a tough team to beat."

UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- Though his team comes home with a chance to sweep a back-to-back series against the first-place team in its division, Jack Capuano would prefer not to play the same style of game.

The New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins play at Nassau Coliseum on Saturday, 24 hours after New York went into Consol Energy Center and left with a 5-4 shootout victory. Capuano liked the result, but he doesn’t want to get into another run-and-gun matchup with the Penguins, who lead the NHL in scoring at 3.67 goals per game and are two points ahead of the Islanders for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division.

“You never know what you’re going to get going into a game, obviously,” Capuano said after the Islanders’ optional morning skate. “We don’t want to play that type of game, but as we showed the video to our guys this morning, our structure was good. They have some pretty good skills. We’re there, but we’re not there.

“We want to play a little bit more ‘in your face.’ In the first and third periods, we were really good, we did a lot of good things. In the second period, we mismanaged the puck … and when you make it a short track for them, a quick transition game, they’re going to get their opportunities.”

UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- One night after three of his Tampa Bay Lightning teammates had a homecoming, it’s goaltender Evgeni Nabokov’s turn Tuesday.

Defenseman Anton Stralman and forwards Ryan Callahan and Brian Boyle got applause and a video tribute Monday in their first game back at Madison Square Garden. Callahan was the New York Rangers’ captain until being traded to the Lightning in March; Stralman and Boyle were part of the team that made the Stanley Cup Final last spring.

Nabokov figures to get a warm welcome Tuesday at Nassau Coliseum, where he was the New York Islanders’ starting goaltender for the past three seasons before signing with the Lightning during the summer. He’s expected to be in goal when the Lightning go for their third straight win and second against the Islanders in a four-day span.

“The old guard is coming in to protect his turf,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said with a laugh Tuesday morning when asked if Nabokov would play against his former team.

UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- The New York Islanders and Colorado Avalanche will face each other for the second time in 12 days when they step onto the ice Tuesday at Nassau Coliseum. The memory of the first game still stings the Islanders.

New York came to Pepsi Center on Oct. 30 to start a five-game road trip against a team that had struggled through the first three weeks of the season. The Islanders outshot Colorado 40-23 but were beaten 5-0, their biggest margin of defeat this season.

The Islanders are back at the Coliseum after the trip, which started with back-to-back losses against the Avalanche and San Jose Sharks, but finished with one-goal victories against the Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings and Arizona Coyotes.

New York has to avoid a letdown in its first game back after a rare successful trip out West. Forward Matt Martin said the memory of the loss at Colorado should help.

UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- The New York Islanders are hoping a week of rest and practice helps No. 1 goaltender Jaroslav Halak rediscover his game.

Halak will be in goal for the Islanders when they host the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday at Nassau Coliseum. Halak hasn't played for a week; he was pulled last Tuesday after allowing five goals in two periods of a 5-2 home loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Chad Johnson finished that game and went all the way in the next two, a 3-2 road victory against the Boston Bruins and a 7-5 scorefest against the Dallas Stars at the Coliseum on Saturday.

"He's had a great week," coach Jack Capuano said of Halak, who is 3-2-0 with a 3.38 goals-against average and a save percentage of .891. "He has a great attitude, real positive. He's been out there early every day and staying late after practice. He's had a good week of practice, and we expect a solid game from him tonight."