Game Preview: Islanders vs Lightning

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (24-15-4) VS TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING (35-8-2)
7 PM | BARCLAYS CENTER | BUY TICKETS
WATCH: MSG+ | MSG GO | NHL.TV
LISTEN: 88.7FM WRHU | 103.9FM LI NEWS | RADIO.COM/ISLANDERS
ISLANDERS PRIDE NIGHT | GAME NOTES

Video: Morning Skate: NYI vs TBL 1/13

ISLANDERS NOTES:

• The Islanders have lost six of their last seven meetings with the Lightning. New York's last win against Tampa Bay was a 5-3 road win on Nov. 18, 2017. New York is 1-3-0 in four career matchups against the Lightning at Barclays Center.
  - After riding a six-game winning streak, New York has now lost two of its last three contests. The Isles are 7-3-0 in their last 10 games.
  - Sunday's game marks the second leg of a home back-to-back set for the Islanders. The Islanders are 5-0-0 on the second night of back-to-backs this season.
  - Josh Bailey has recorded 19 points (7G, 12A) in 30-career games against Tampa. Bailey tallied an assist in Saturday's 2-1 loss to the Rangers.
  - The Islanders played their last two games against the crosstown New York Rangers, splitting the home-and-home set at one. Both teams concluded the season series at 2-2-0.
  - Thomas Greiss is expected to start in goal for the Islanders as Barry Trotz splits his goalies on the back-to-back set. Greiss last played on Tuesday vs Carolina and is looking for his first win since Dec. 17, though the Isles goalie has only made three starts since.
  - Nick Leddy has collected one assist in five of his last seven games.
  - Jordan Eberle is one goal shy of 200 career goals.
  - New York (52 points) is fourth in the Metropolitan Division behind the third-place Columbus Blue Jackets (55 points). The Islanders currently have the second wild card berth in the Eastern Conference.

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LIGHTNING NOTES:

• The Tampa Bay Lightning lead the NHL with 35 wins and 72 points - 10 more points than the Western-Conference leading Calgary Flames.
  - The Lightning are on a roll, having won 10 of their last 11 games and 18 of their last 20.
  - This is the second game of a road back-to-back for Tampa Bay. The Lightning defeated the Buffalo Sabres by a 5-3 margin on Saturday night.
  - Nikita Kucherov leads the NHL with 75 points (22G, 53A). Brayden Point is sixth in the NHL with 61 points - and leads the Lightning with 29 goals - while Steven Stamkos is tied for 17th with with 51 points.
  - Stamkos has registered at least one point in eight of his last nine games against the Islanders. Stamkos has 14 points (4G, 10A) in that span for the Lightning.
  - On Jan. 11, the Lightning acquired D Jan Rutta and a 2019 seventh-round pick from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for D Slater Koekkoek and a 2019 fifth-round pick.