Preview: Islanders at Senators

ISLANDERS (24-18-10) at SENATORS (28-18-6)
1 p.m. ET; TSN5, RDS, MSG+, NHL.TV

Islanders team scope

The New York Islanders will be trying to extend their point streak to four games against the Ottawa Senators. The Islanders are 2-0-1 in their past three games, 7-1-2 since Doug Weight replaced Jack Capuano as coach and 8-1-2 in their past 11 games. The Islanders are two points behind the Boston Bruins for the second wild card out of the Eastern Conference and have four games in hand on Boston. Goaltender Thomas Greiss made 34 saves in a 3-1 win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday, when the Islanders overcame a slow start. "We played with a lot of character," said forward Casey Cizikas, who scored his sixth goal of the season. "Our defense gets a lot of credit and Greisser as usual. They blocked a lot of pucks today, they boxed out, they got pucks to the forwards quickly, they played an outstanding game."

Senators team scope

Ottawa Senators goaltender Craig Anderson, who returned Jan. 30 from a leave of absence to be with wife, Nicholle, while she underwent cancer treatment, will start for the first time since Dec. 5 , an 8-5 loss at the Pittsburgh Penguins. Mike Condon will dress as his backup. Anderson is 12-6-1 with a 2.46 goals-against average, a .924 save percentage and three shutouts. "He had done enough in practice to feel like he had enough game situations," coach Guy Boucher said Saturday. "We practiced power play (Friday), which is one thing we hadn't done yet with him. After the practice he told the goalie coach he was feeling good and we'd talk again after he got undressed. We got together and it was clear, 'I'm ready, let's go." Boucher will dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen, as he did in a 3-2 win against the Dallas Stars on Thursday. The Senators, 2-3-1 in their past six games, are in second place in the Atlantic Division, one point ahead of the Toronto Maple Leafs with a game in hand.

Islanders projected lineup

Anders Lee -- John Tavares -- Josh Bailey
Anthony Beauvillier -- Brock Nelson -- Ryan Strome
Andrew Ladd -- Alan Quine -- Jason Chimera
Shane Prince -- Casey Cizikas -- Nikolay Kulemin
Nick Leddy -- Johnny Boychuk
Thomas Hickey -- Adam Pelech
Calvin de Haan -- Dennis Seidenberg
Thomas Greiss
J-F Berube
Scratched: Stephen Gionta, Scott Mayfield
Injured: Cal Clutterbuck (lower body), Mikhail Grabovski (concussion), Travis Hamonic (lower body)

Senators projected lineup

Zack Smith -- Derick Brassard -- Mark Stone
Ryan Dzingel -- Kyle Turris -- Bobby Ryan
Mike Hoffman -- Jean-Gabriel Pageau -- Tom Pyatt
Tommy Wingels -- Chris Kelly
Marc Methot -- Erik Karlsson
Dion Phaneuf -- Cody Ceci
Mark Borowiecki -- Chris Wideman
Fredrik Claesson
Craig Anderson
Mike Condon
Scratched: Chris Neil, Curtis Lazar, Andrew Hammond
Injured:Clarke MacArthur (concussion)

Status report

Neil will be a scratch for the fifth time in the past seven games, Lazar for the fourth time in six games.

Who's hot

Strome has two goals and five assists in a five-game point streak. Bailey has three goals and three assists in his past four games. Nelson has three goals and three assists in his past five games. Lee has five goals and nine assists in his past 11 games. … Karlsson has a goal and four assists in his past five games. Stone has three goals and two assists in his past five games.