UBS Keys to the Game: Islanders vs Senators

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (15-16-6) VS OTTAWA SENATORS (14-21-4)
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The New York Islanders have two home games remaining - a back-to-back set - before the All-Star break commences. The final pair of games - beginning with the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night - will be crucial for the Islanders to gain some traction and points in the standings after losing two-straight games in regulation.

The Islanders enter Tuesday's contest coming off a failed comeback attempt in their 4-3 loss against the Minnesota Wild on Sunday night. The Islanders dug themselves into a 2-0 hole within the first five minutes of the game but battled back and rifled off a season-high 43 shots. They received scoring from Brock Nelson, a breakaway from Ross Johnston and a late power-play goal from Oliver Wahlstrom. Ilya Sorokin made 17 saves on 21 shots.
Ottawa enters the matchup after playing the first leg of their back-to-back in an OT thriller against the Edmonton Oilers on Monday night where they picked up the 3-2 victory. Tim Stützle scored the overtime winner at 4:22, while Thomas Chabot and Nick Paul (power play) scored in regulation. Matt Murray made 37 saves on 39 shots in regulation.
The Islanders and Senators last met on Dec. 7 in their meeting at Ottawa, where the Islanders defeated the Sens 5-3 in a morale-boosting win to snap their 11-game winless streak.

ISLANDERS NOTES:

• Nelson buried his team-leading 14th goal of the season. The goal also extended Nelson's point streak to three-straight games where the centerman has tallied four points (1G, 3A) during that stretch. Nelson has 21 points (14G, 7A) through 28 games.
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• Johnston drew in the lineup at the last minute as Casey Cizikas did not play due to a non-COVID-19 related illness. Johnston, who returned to the lineup after missing seven games, scored his first goal of the season.
• Wahlstrom made a diving effort to convert on the Islanders' fourth power play of the game. In doing so, the sophomore winger scored his ninth goal of the season and his team-leading fifth power-play goal. Wahlstrom has produced 17 points (9G, 8A) through 34 games this season.
• Sorokin made his 25th start of the season, while his record fell to 12-8-5. The loss also snapped a five-game winning streak for Sorokin. The Russian netminder has a 2.37 GAA, a .923 SV% and four shutouts this season.
• The Islanders' power play was 1-for-4 against the Wild, while their penalty kill was 1-for-2. In the NHL, the Islanders' man advantage unit ranks 23rd at 17.2% and their PK ranks 10th at 82.3%.
• With the regulation loss, the Islanders are 7-4-0 in their last 11 games and 10-6-1 in their last 17 games and have fallen below NHL.500.
• The Islanders are 12-4-4 when scoring first and are 3-12-2 when allowing the opening goal.
• According to Islanders' statistician Eric Hornick, the Islanders have allowed only 24 goals in their last eleven games; their 2.18 goals against average is the lowest in the NHL in that span, dating back to December 30th.

SENATORS NOTES:

• Stützle's overtime winner marked his eighth goal of the season. The German winger now has 21 points (8G, 13A) through 38 games.
• Chabot scored his third goal of the season and assisted on Stützle's OT winner. The defenseman now has 23 points (3G, 20A) through 39 games.
• Paul buried his eighth goal of the 2021-22 campaign and his second on the power play. The winger now has 11 points (8G, 3A) through 38 games and has two goals in his last three games.
• Murray made his 12th start of the season while his record improved his record to 4-6-2.
• The Senators power play was 1-for-2 against Edmonton, while their penalty kill was 3-for-3. In the NHL, Ottawa's man advantage ranks 22nd at 18.0% and their PK ranks 15th overall in the league at 80.7%.
• Josh Norris did not play against Edmonton after sustaining a shoulder injury last Thursday against Carolina. Norris is atop the Sens leaderboard in goal scoring with 18 goals through 36 games. The 22-year-old winger ranks third in points with 26 points (18G, 8A).
• The Senators are without leading scorer Drake Batherson, who suffered an ankle injury following a hit from Buffalo netminder Aaron Dell on Jan. 25 to which Dell was subsequently suspended by the NHL Player Safety for three games. Through 31 games prior to the injury, Batherson had produced 34 points (13G, 21A). Batherson was originally selected to represent Ottawa at the 2022 All-Star Game, but due to his injury Sens captain Brady Tkachuk will go in his place.
• Tkachuk posted a two-point outing against Edmonton with two assists. The winger now has 29 points (12G, 15A) through 36 games.