UBS Keys to the Game: Islanders at Stars

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (32-27-9) VS DALLAS STARS (39-26-3)8:30 PM ET | AMERICAN AIRLINES CENTERWATCH: MSG+ | MSG GO | ESPN+LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | 1050AM
The New York Islanders are vying for their fifth-straight win when they take on the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night at American Airlines Center.
Coming off a 4-3 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday, the Islanders are looking to pick up another win on the road and enter thegame riding a season-high four-game win streak overall. On Sunday, the Islanders held a 3-0 lead through the first half of the game, thanks to Jean-Gabriel Pageau's natural hat trick.
"It was Pageau's line that had an impact in the game," said Head Coach Barry Trotz. "With our schedule, we need everybody… and one line to step up."

The Devils rallied with a strong third period, with Nico Hischier scoring to close the gap to one goal with 1:06 left in the game, but the Islanders ultimately held on to win 4-3. Kyle Palmieri scored the game winner and picked up two assists against his former team in the Islanders victory. Cory Schneider stopped 27-of-30 shots in his first NHL start in over two years, and his first wearing the blue and orange. The Islanders went 1-for-3 on the power play.
On Sunday, the Stars dropped the last game of their four-game road trip with a 4-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken. Dallas gave up a shorthanded goal early in the first period, and weren't able to generate offense until defenseman John Klingberg found the back of the net late in the third period to make it 2-1, though that was as close as they came. As a result, the Stars (81 points) fell out of a wild card, one point back of the Vegas Golden Knights (82 points) with three games in hand. Dallas is also fifth in the Central Division, one point back of the Nashville Predators (82 points).
The last time the Islanders faced the Stars, they won 4-2 in front of a home crowd at UBS arena on March 19. Semyon Varlamov made 37 saves for the Islanders. Brock Nelson scored a hat trick in the third period in the victory.

ISLANDERS NOTES:

• The Islanders are red-hot with a record of 11-3-1 in their last 15 games. For the first time this season, they're five games over NHL-.500. In the Metropolitan Division standings, the Islanders (73 points) rank fifth and are 11 points behind the Washington Capitals (84 points) for a wild card spot, with a game in hand.
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• Semyon Varlamov was named the
NHL's "Third Star" for the week ending on April 3
. Through three games last week, the Russian goaltender stopped 99 of 104 shots. With a shutout on Friday against the New York Rangers and a 42-save performance on Tuesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Varlamov is contributing to the Islanders' recent success. Varlamov went 6-1-0 in his last seven starts.
• Pageau has 13 goals on the season following his hat trick against the Devils at Prudential Center, marking the second regular season three-goal game of his career and first as an Islander. His four points in the game lifted the Islanders to a 4-3 victory, and Pageau now has seven points (3G, 4A) in his last seven games.
• Mat Barzal has two goals and four assists in his last four games, and leads the team in the assists column with 34. He recently hit a career milestone of 300 points with two points in the Islanders' 3-0 shutout victory over the Rangers on Friday night.
• Adam Pelech's helpers have been making a real impact as of late, with nine assists in the month of March and three in Sunday's victory over the Devils. Pelech's three-point game was the second of his career and first since dishing three assists in a 5-3 win over the Arizona Coyotes on Oct. 24, 2017. The last time Pelech and the Islanders faced the Stars, he picked up an assist in Ryan Pulock's slap shot which opened up the scoring.
• Kyle Palmieri is on the brink of 200 career goals in the NHL. His 198th goal on Sunday was also his 37th career game-winner. Per Eric Hornick, no active player with fewer than 200 career goals has as many game-winners.
• The Islanders' power play improved in their last 14 games. They've capitalized on 13 of 45 chances (28.9%) and are 20.2% overall this season, ranking 20th in the NHL. Their penalty kill is also sharp as of late. The Islanders killed 50 of 56 (89.3%) in their last 20 games.
• The Islanders boast a 58-40-16-3 (W-L-T-OTL) all-time record against the Stars. Tuesday's matchup will be the second and final matchup of the season.

STARS NOTES:

• Sunday's 4-1 loss to the Kraken prevented Dallas from sweeping their four-game road trip and ended the team's three-game winning streak. The Stars collected six out of eight possible points on their west-coast excursion, lifting their road record to 18-17-2. On home ice, the Stars are 21-9-1 at American Airlines Center. The Stars won seven of their last 10 games.
• The Stars' power play faltered on Sunday against the Kraken, going 0-for-3 for the second-straight game.
• The Stars enter a three-game homestand just one point out of a wild card spot, right behind the Nashville Predators and the Vegas Golden Knights. Both teams have 82 points and hold the first and second wild card spot, respectively, though Dallas has three games in hand on Vegas.
• Joe Pavelski leads the team in points (68) and assists (43) and had one of each in the Stars' victory over the San Jose Sharks on April 2.
• Klingberg stands three assists away from the 300 mark in his career. He recorded 35 assists this season, ranking second on the team.
• Tyler Seguin has gone six games without scoring since his milestone 300th career goal on March 22nd against the Edmonton Oilers, but he's had eight assists in his previous 10 games. He picked up an assist in the 4-2 loss against the Islanders on March 19.