Game Preview: Islanders vs Senators

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (27-23-6) VS OTTAWA SENATORS (25-24-3)
7:30 PM ET | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS
WATCH: MSGSN | MSG GO | ESPN+
LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | 98.7FM
The New York Islanders are looking to bounce back with a win on home ice against the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night at UBS Arena.
The Islanders are coming off a 4-3 OT loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday at Centre Bell. Brock Nelson (1G, 1A), Bo Horvat (PPG) and Matt Martin lead the offensive effort; however, the Islanders were unable to hold onto 2-1 and 3-2 leads in the third period and ultimately fell in the extra frame. The loss marks the second consecutive game where the Islanders blew a lead to cost them the contest.
"We talked about it after the game," Head Coach Lane Lambert said on the overtime loss. "It was well within our grasp. We have to be able to finish games off."

The Senators defeated the Calgary Flames 4-3 in overtime on Monday night after finding themselves down 3-1 with 6:40 left in the third period. Brady Tkachuk (1G, 2A), Alex DeBrincat (1G, 1A), Drake Batherson and Tim Stützle (1G, 3A) scored for Ottawa to complete the comeback. Mads Sogaard made 34 saves in the win.
The Islanders and Senators are knotted in their season series at one game apiece. The two teams crossed paths for the first time on Nov. 14, where the Islanders picked up a road win with goals from Oliver Wahlstrom, Noah Dobson (1G, 1A), Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Brock Nelson. The Islanders fell to the Senators on Jan. 25 in a 2-1 loss, with Nelson as the lone goal scorer for New York. The Isles have won five straight home games against the Sens and are 10-2-0 in their last twelve match-ups with Ottawa.
In the tight race in the Eastern Conference, the Islanders (60) points are chasing the Pittsburgh Penguins (61 points) and the Washington Capitals (62 points), who occupy the pair of wild card spots. The Capitals have one game in hand on the Islanders, while the Penguins have four.

ISLANDERS NOTES:

• The Islanders collected nine points out of a possible 12 over their last six games, including a four-game winning streak followed by a two-game winless skid, where the Islanders let two games slip in the final frame.
  "We are doing some really good things," Horvat said on Monday. "It's just a matter of holding leads. A couple unfortunate bounces in these last couple of games, but we have to get back on track tomorrow night."
  - Brock Nelson is riding a career-long 10 game point streak (6G, 6A). Nelson hit the 50-point threshold for the fourth time in his career as he hit the scoresheet on Saturday.
  ISLES VS SENS
  ISLANDERS ARTICLES
  3 Takeaways: Canadiens 4, Islanders 3 OT
  This Day in Isles History
  First Islander Richie Hansen
  Monte Officiates Pups N Pucks Game
  Talkin' Isles: Dave Lewis
  GAME EXTRAS
  Pucks and Paws
  Reverse Retro Jersey
  Talkin' Isles
  - The Islanders fifth-ranked penalty kill in the NHL (82.7%) will likely be tested with the Senators' third-ranked power play (26.4%) on Tuesday night.
  - Jean-Gabriel Pageau will face his former team on Tuesday night after spending parts of eight seasons with the Senators before he arrived on the Island at the end of the 2019-2020 season. Pageau recorded three points (2G, 1A) over six appearances against the Senators since the trade.
  "It's always fun," Pageau said of playing against his former club. "Great memories. The players change a lot, but I still know a couple guys and it's always fun to see the staff. But I'm proud to be an Islander and I'll do anything possible to win this game."
  - The Islanders power play has improved since the NHL All-Star break, going 4-for-9 after a 4-for-68 stretch prior. Noah Dobson has been a piece of that success, recording three power play points over his last two games.
  "I think we've been better in the break-ins," Dobson said of the Islanders revitalized power play. "We're attacking more and executing our plays. And of course, adding a guy like Bo [Horvat] into the mix, he's a threat."
  - Monday marked exactly two weeks since the Islanders acquired Horvat from the Vancouver Canucks. Horvat registered four points (3G, 1A) in his first four games, including a three-game goal streak.
  - The Islanders played the most games in the NHL with 56, which allows for more days in-between games for practices and rest ahead of the increasingly important games left in the regular season.
  "Coming down the stretch, there's going to be a lot of playoff-mentality games where every point is magnified," Dobson said of the upcoming schedule. "I think more rest in between games would be good, but we have to take it one day at a time."

SENATORS NOTES:

• With Monday's 4-3 OT win over the Calgary Flames, the Senators rose above the NHL-.500, to a record of 25-24-3.
  - The Senators are without Jake Sanderson and Anton Forsberg, both players placed on the team's IR list on Sunday Forsberg is out indefinitely with MCL tears in both knees after an injury in Saturday's matchup against the Edmonton Oilers, while Sanderson is out with an upper-body injury. Forsberg started in 25 games this season and posted a 11-11-2 record with a .902 save percentage, along with a pair of shutouts.
  - Mags Sogaard, who entered Saturday's game in relief of Forsberg, won his first game in his first start of the season on Monday night, posting 34 saves to stave the Flames.
  - Tim Stützle is red hot for the Senators, with eight points (3G, 5A) over his last three games, including a four-point outing on Monday, including netting the game-winner in overtime. His goal accounted for his 23rd on the season, reaching a career-best and maintaining the team-high for the Senators.
  - Claude Giroux collected 10 points (6G, 4A) over the span of six games, reaching the 20-goal mark for the ninth time in his NHL career.
  - Brady Tkachuk leads the Senators in points (55) and assists (34) in his fifth season with the team.