Preview: Coyotes vs. Islanders

GAME 33:
Coyotes (14-16-2) vs. Islanders (16-12-4)
Arizona, looking to rebound from a 1-3-0 road trip vs. Eastern Conference teams, will begin a three-game homestand when it hosts New York on Tuesday night.

WHERE: Gila River Arena | WHEN: 7 p.m. (AZ time) | TV:FOX Sports Arizona | RADIO:AZ Sports 98.7 FM

ABOUT THE 'YOTES:
• The Coyotes will enter Tuesday's game looking to extend their home winning streak vs. the Islanders to four games. Arizona is 7-1-1 in its past nine games played vs. New York in Glendale.
• Darcy Kuemper will start in goal after watching rookie Adin Hill play the past two games. Kuemper is 0-3-1 since earning his last victory on Nov. 15 vs. Nashville. Overall, Kuemper has posted a 4-7-2 record, a 2.85 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage in 13 games this season. He recently missed eight games because of a lower-body injury. Hill will be the backup goalie.
• Clayton Keller leads the Coyotes in points (23) and assists (15), and is co-leading with eight goals. Brad Richardson also has scored eight.
• Arizona is the fourth stingiest team in the NHL with regards to goals allowed per game. The Coyotes have given up just 89 in 32 games; that's 2.78 each game. Coincidentally, the Islanders boast the exact same stinginess in this category.

• Alex Galchenyuk and Nick Cousins are averaging a point per game vs. the Islanders. Cousins has produced four goals and four assists in eight games, and Galchenyuk has generated six goals and 10 assists in 16 games.
• Conor Garland will get a shot playing on the top line with Keller and center Nick Schmaltz. Garland, who notched 19 points in 18 American Hockey League games before being recalled two weeks ago, is averaging nearly three shots per game in the NHL, but has yet to produce a point in five games. Arizona drafted Garland 123rd overall in 2015.
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• The Coyotes assigned forward Michael Bunting to the AHL on Monday. Forward Vinnie Hinostroza, who has missed the past five games because of a lower-body injury, skated on Monday and is expected to return to the lineup during the homestand.
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS:
• New York, which has won two games in a row, ranks eighth in the Eastern Conference with 36 points ... Thomas Greiss made 30 saves, and Anders Lee and Jordan Eberle each had a goal and an assist for the Islanders in a 4-1 win at Colorado on Monday night ... Mathew Barzal, who won the Calder Trophy last season, is having a solid sophomore season. He leads the team in points (27) and assists (23) ... Lee is the team's top goal scorer with 12 ... Robin Lehner, who is expected to start in goal, is 4-6-3 with a 2.66 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage ... New York may have to play minus forward Brock Nelson and defenseman Thomas Hickey; both left Monday's game because of injury and did not return.

'YOTES QUOTES:
• "Our team has to play a certain way. Some nights we do. Some nights we don't ... We can't chase the game. We know that. Our roster doesn't have a chase-the-game style, but we do have a roster that can work hard and stay in games." -- Rick Tocchet
• "We've got eight points available before Christmas and that's got to be our focus right now. These are crucial points and we want to make sure we get as many as we can before the (holiday) break. You never know. We can crawl back into this thing with these eight points. If we get six out of eight, or seven out of eight, we're right back in the hunt." -- Derek Stepan
• "We're close to where we want to be right now. We've been in almost every game. The margin between winning and losing is very minimal. A few mistakes is usually the difference between a win and a loss most nights. So, if we can stick to what we've been doing, but clean up some mental mistakes we've been making, I like our chances." -- Darcy Kuemper