Game Preview: Islanders at Rangers

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (21-18-4) AT NEW YORK RANGERS (22-15-5)
1 P.M. MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
TV: MSG+, MSG GO
RADIO: 88.7FM - WRHU, 660AM/101.9FM - WFAN
GAME NOTES
The bye week is over and the New York Islanders are back in action as they take on the New York Rangers in matinee action at Madison Square Garden.
There are real stakes in Saturday's game, as the Islanders try to close the gap with their Metropolitan Division and crosstown rivals. The Rangers are currently in the first wild card with 49 points, while the Islanders (46 points) are three points back.

The Islanders snapped a five-game losing streak with a shootout win over New Jersey before the bye week, but the five-game slide has dropped them down to eighth in the Metro. Despite being in eighth, the Metro has been so tight, the Islanders are only three points out of fourth, but can't afford to lose any more ground as their division rivals keep winning.

LINEUP NOTES:

UPDATE: HALAK IN GOAL, SAME DEFENSE FROM SUNDAY. DAL COLLE TO DEBUT
Michael Dal Colle will make his NHL debut on Saturday after he and Anthony Beauvillier were emergency recalls from Bridgeport. They'll play in place on Josh Bailey and Andrew Ladd, who are both out with injury.
Sebastian Aho was a regular recall and will play in place of the injured Johnny Boychuk. Shane Prince missed Friday's practice due to travel trouble.

SEASON SERIES:

The Islanders beat the Rangers 4-3 in a shootout at Madison Square Garden in their first and only meeting so far this season. John Tavares scored the game-deciding goal in the shootout, while Jaroslav Halak made 38 saves in regulation and stopped two-of-three attempts in the shootout. Mathew Barzal scored his first NHL goal in the game.

BY THE NUMBERS:

11-1-0- Jaroslav Halak's record in his last 12 head-to-head matchups with Lundqvist. Halak is also 8-3-0 vs the Rangers as an Islander.
1-7-2 - Henrik Lundqvist's record in his last 10 games against the Islanders.
Power Play: Isles 20.8% - 10th, Rangers 18.5 - 17th
Penalty Kill:Isles 74.1% - 30th, Rangers 83.7% - 6th

THE RANGERS:

Last Game: L 2-1 at Vegas

Leading Scorers: Goals:Michael Grabner - 18
Assists: Mats Zuccarello - 23
Points:Mats Zuccarello - 31
The Rangers are currently in the first wild card with 49 points. They're managing to keep pace with the teams at their heels going 5-3-2 in their last 10 games.
The Rangers will be without forward Chris Kreider for Saturday's game, as Kreider recently underwent successful rib resection surgery on Jan. 7 and is out indefinitely. The surgery is a treatment for thoracic outlet syndrome and Kreider had previously been sidelined with a blood clot in his right arm. Kreider had 22 points this season.
Henrik Lundqvist is the likely starter for the Rangers, but the Islanders have the all-star goalie's number of late. Lundqvist is 1-7-2 in his last 10 games against the Islanders.