ISLANDERS (29-26-6) at MAPLE LEAFS (37-20-5) 7 p.m. ET; TSN4, MSG+ 2, NHL.TV
Toronto trails the Boston Bruins by three points for second place in the Atlantic Division, though Boston has four games in hand.. The Islanders, who are 2-1-0 in their past three games after going 2-5-1 in their previous eight, are beginning a stretch in which they play seven of eight games on the road. They trail the Columbus Blue Jackets by one point for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.
Players to watch
Islanders forward Anders Lee had a goal and an assist in a 5-3 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Monday. He has six points (three goals, three assists) in his past eight games and is tied with John Tavares for the team lead in goals with 30. Maple Leafs forward James van Riemsdyk scored the game-winning goal in a 1-0 victory against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday. He has eight points (six goals, two assists) in his past 10 games and has scored in five of his past seven.
They said it
"We understand there's a lot at stake with each and every game that goes by. There's less room for error, especially the position we're in and how tight the race is." -- Islanders center John Tavares "You know exactly where they're at in the standings and what's at stake for them, so we have to expect a strong game from them. They've got a lot of talent on their team so we'll be ready for that." -- Maple Leafs forward James van Riemsdyk
Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock said one of his players is sick but would not say who. Martin, who has been a healthy scratch for the past 13 games, would replace that player in the lineup.
Stat pack
Tavares has seven points (four goals, three assists) in his past nine games. Barzal has nine assists in his past six games. … Bozak has one goal and three assists during a three-game point streak. Kadri has 17 points (seven goals, 10 assists) in his past 15 games.
