Game Preview: Islanders vs Senators

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (10-3-0) VS OTTAWA SENATORS (4-8-1)
7 PM | BARCLAYS CENTER | BUY TICKETS
PROSTATE CANCER AWARENESS NIGHT
WATCH: MSG+ | MSG GO
LISTEN:88.7FM | 103.9FM | 98.7FM
The New York Islanders (10-3-0) have won nine straight games and are looking for their second 10-game winning streak in franchise history when they host the Ottawa Senators at Barclays Center.
A win against the Senators would give the Isles their second-longest winning streak in franchise history. The Islanders last nine-game winning streak occurred from Dec. 31, 1989 - Jan. 19, 1990. The longest winning streak in franchise history is 15 games which was accomplished during the Stanley Cup-winning 1981-82 season.

Ottawa is the first team that the Isles will repeat facing since going on their nine-game tear. Tuesday's also game kicks off a four-game homestand and marks the Islanders first game of the season at Barclays Center.

MORNING SKATE UPDATES:

• Lou Lamoriello provided injury updates on Leo Komarov, Matt Martin, Tom Kuhnhackl and Nick Leddy on Tuesday morning. Komarov (illness/neck) is skating and could return within the week, Martin (lower body) is skating, but is at least a week to 10 days away and Kuhnhackl (lower body) has not resumed skating. Nick Leddy is day to day with a lower-body injury.
  - Down to 12 forwards and six defenseman, the Isles recalled Otto Koivula and Seth Helgeson from Bridgeport as a precaution. Neither are expected to play, unless the Isles suffer another injury before puck drop, and will be returned to Bridgeport tonight.
  - Thomas Greiss was the first goalie off the ice for morning skate and is expected to start vs Ottawa.
  - Derick Brassard will play in his 800th NHL game tonight. The 13-year veteran has 458 points (181G, 277A) in 799 career games with Columbus (309 games), the Rangers (254 games), Ottawa (139 games), Pittsburgh (54 games), Florida (10 games), Colorado (20 games) and the Islanders (13 games).
  "It's gone by really fast," Brassard said. "Playing with guys that are 18 or 19, kind of reminds me that the career goes by really fast. I had the chance to play with some really good players and I got to meet a lot of good friends as well. I never thought when I was younger that I'd play 800 games and I think I'm really proud of that."

ISLANDERS NOTES:

• The Isles' winning streak was extended nine games on Saturday following a 1-0 victory over Buffalo at Keybank Center. Derick Brassard scored the Isles sole goal of the season and extended his goal streak to five games, while Semyon Varlamov recorded his first shutout of the season after making 27 saves.
  - After registering a slow start to the season, Brassard has scored in the last five games and has seven points (5G, 2A) through 13 games. Brassard's scoring streak started against Arizona on Oct. 24 and includes a goal against the Senators, his former club, on Oct. 25.
  MORE COVERAGE
  WRITTEN COVERAGE
  Isles DTD: Komarov Nearing Return
  Isles Prospect Report
  Isles DTD: Eberle Practices
  MORE INFORMATION
  Prostate Cancer Awareness
  ISLES TV
  Bailey on NHL Network
  Isles Practice: The Streak
  - Anthony Beauvillier assisted on Brassard's goal on Saturday. Beauvillier is tied with four other teammates for a team-high six assists. Beauvillier has eight points in 13 games.
  - Varlamov recorded the first shutout of the season for the Islanders and the first in his career as an Islander. Through seven games this season, the 31-year-old Russian netminder has made seven starts and posted a record of 5-2-0, a goals against average of 2.14 and a save percentage of .929.
  - The Isles have gone with a true goalie rotation this season, making Thomas Greiss the expected starter on Tuesday.
  - Nick Leddy was ruled out of Saturday's game against Buffalo with a lower-body injury that was announced just before puck drop. Leddy missed practice on Monday morning and is considered day-to-day.
  - Tuesday's game marks the first game of the season at Barclays Center. The Isles will play 13 total games at Barclays Center this season. The team has an all-time record of 78-48-18 at Atlantic and Flatbush.
  - Rookie defenseman Noah Dobson filled Leddy's spot in the lineup. The 19-year-old played in his fourth-career NHL game against the Sabres. Dobson, who was paired with veteran Johnny Boychuk, registered 11:52 time on ice including 1:20 on the power play, had two shots on goal, one block and one takeaway.
  - Mathew Barzal leads the Islanders with six goals and has a team-high 11 points through 13 games. Josh Bailey is tied with Barzal atop the Isles leaderboard with 11 points (5G, 6A).
  - Jordan Eberle practiced in a non-contact jersey with the team for the first time since sustaining his lower-body injury against Florida on Oct. 12. Through five games this season, Eberle has three points.
  - Leo Komarov is still out with an illness. Komarov has missed the last six games with illness but has been skating on his own per Isles Head Coach Barry Trotz.
  - Andrew Ladd was placed on long-term injured reserve and sent to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers for conditioning on Saturday morning. Ladd has been recovering from an ACL surgery which took place in March.

ISLES VS SENS:

The Islanders last played the Senators on Oct. 25 at Canadian Tire Centre. The Isles claimed a 4-2 win in the chippy match with goals from Matt Martin, Brassard and two goals from Nick Leddy. Thomas Gresiss made 30 saves on 32 shots.
The win came at a cost, as both Matt Martin and Tom Kuhnhackl suffered lower-body injuries during the game. Kuhnhackl left the game during the first period. Martin finished the game, but neither player has returned to action since and was put on IR.
The Islanders won all three contests against the Senators last season. The Isles doubled the Senators up 6-3 on Dec. 28, 2018 as Barzal scored twice. On March 5, the Isles topped Ottawa 5-4 in a shootout and beat them 4-2 on March 8.
The Isles have won five straight games against Ottawa, as well as their last four trips to Ottawa.

SENATORS NOTES:

• The Senators picked up their first road win of the season (in six attempts) after beating the New York Rangers 6-2 on Monday night. The Senators overcame a one-goal deficit in the first period and scored five-straight goals, including three in the second period.
  - Goalie - and former Islander - Anders Nilsson picked up his first win of the season on Monday night. Through five games and five starts this season, Nilsson has registered a record of 1-3-1, a goals against average of 3.36 and a save percentage of .919.
  - Vladislav Namestnikov and Brady Tkachuk each had two points (1G, 1A). Namestnikov has seven points (4G, 3A) through 12 games played this season. Monday night was Namestnikov's first time playing his former club after getting dealt to the Senators from the Rangers on Oct. 7 in exchange for AHL defenseman Nick Ebert and a fourth-round pick in 2021. Tkachuk has six points (3G, 3A) through 12 games this season.
  - Jean-Gabriel Pageau posted a season-high of two goals against the Rangers. Pageau has seven points (3G, 4A) through 12 games this season.
  - The Senators power play went 2-for-6 against the Rangers. Ottawa's power play is ranked last in the league with a conversion percentage of 8.3 and had gone 4-for-48 through their first 13 games.
  - Ottawa's penalty kill went 3-for-4 against New York. Across the league, the Senators PK is ranked 22nd at 78.9%.
  - The Sens have been hit by the injury bug as well. Scott Sabourin and Logan Brown were the most recent additions added to IR after sustaining injuries in Ottawa's 5-2 loss to Boston on Saturday. Sabourin suffered a fractured nose on a play that left him unconscious and required a stretcher to get off of the ice. Brown is week-to-week with an upper-body injury. Centers Colin White and Artem Anisimov are still on IR, but travelled to New York. White is tending to a lower-body injury sustained at the end of October, Anisimov is projected to be back in the lineup potentially against the Isles. Anisimov is recovering from a lower-body injury.