Game Preview: Islanders at Senators

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (5-10-5) AT OTTAWA SENATORS (7-15-1)
7:00 PM | CANADIAN TIRE CENTRE
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The New York Islanders take on the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night at Canadian Tire Centre.
The Islanders enter the contest coming off a 3-2 shootout loss to Chicago on Sunday night. While the Islanders feel they are trending in the right direction as they picked up a point for a third-straight game on Sunday, they're looking to snap an 11-game winless stretch (0-8-3).

Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who will face his hometown club in Ottawa on Tuesday, got the Islanders' offense going against Chicago with a power-play goal that snapped his own 11-game goal drought. Noah Dobson sent the game into overtime with four seconds left in regulation as he scored his first goal of the season after the Isles puled the goalie in exchange for an extra attacker. Semyon Varlamov returned to the pipes and made 24 saves on 26 shots.
"We're building here," Josh Bailey said. "There's some positives, it's starting to feel right again, but there's still more. Baby steps. This isn't going to happen overnight, but we're trending in the right direction and have to keep working and keep our heads up."
The Senators picked up their third-straight win as they defeated the New Jersey Devils 3-2 in a shootout on Monday night. Drake Batherson and Brady Tkachuk scored in regulation while Tim Stutzle and Josh Norris scored in the shootout. Anton Forsberg made 22 saves on 24 shots.

ISLANDERS NOTES:
• Pageau deposited his second goal of the season and his first power-play goal. The centerman also went 15-4 in faceoffs. Through 19 games this season, Pageau has totaled six points (2G, 4A) and has points in back-to-back games.
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• Dobson scored his first goal of the season and played a career-high 26:14 which marked the highest ice-time for any Islander since Ryan Pulock played 26:31 in the final game before COVID suspended the 2019-20 season (March, 10, 2020 in Vancouver).
• With two assists, Mathew Barzal now has five points (1G, 4A) in his last three games. The centerman has totaled a team-high 13 points (5G, 8A) through 20 games.
• Varlamov made his fifth start of the season and has a 0-4-1 record. The Russian netminder has a 3.17 GAA and a .888 SV%.
• Ross Johnston returned to the lineup for the first time since the Islanders' season opener on Oct. 14. The winger skated in place of Matt Martin, who is tending to a 'nagging injury' per Islanders Head Coach Barry Trotz. Johnston skated 11:09 and blocked one shot against Chicago.
• Pageau's power-play goal marked the team's third power play goal in the last two games. The Islanders' power play ranks 26th in the NHL at 14.3%, while their penalty kill ranks 12th overall at 82.8%.
• The Islanders' 11-game winless skid marks the first time the club has reached a stretch that long without a win since a 14-game streak (0-11-3) from Oct. 23 to Nov. 24, 2010.
• Dobson's game-tying goal marked the first time that the team has scored a tying goal in the final minute for the first time since February 25, 2020.
• Casey Cizikas remains the sole Islander still in COVID-19 protocols, while Brock Nelson and Ryan Pulock continue to be sidelined with lower-body injuries.
• The Islanders are 5-3-4 when scoring first and are 0-7-1 when allowing the opening goal.

SENATORS NOTES:
• Batherson buried his eighth goal of the season and is riding a three-game point streak with as many points (1G, 2A) in that span. Batherson's 20 points (8G, 12A) are the most among the team.
• Tkachuk also notched his eighth goal of the season and has three goals in his last two games as well as a four-game point streak with seven points (4G, 3A) during that span. The Senators captain has totaled 16 points (8G, 8A) through 19 games.
• Norris, who scored the shootout winner over New Jersey, leads Ottawa in goals with 10 goals.
• Forsberg made his eighth start of the season and improved his record to 4-4-0. The goaltender has a 4.13 GAA and a .893 SV%.
• Ottawa's 3.83 goals against per game average ranks the highest in the NHL.
• In the offseason, the Senators acquired defensemen Michael Del Zotto and Nick Holden, and forward Zach Sanford. In a trade with San Jose in October, Ottawa acquired forward Dylan Gambrell.