Lightning at Islanders preview

LIGHTNING (37-11-2) at ISLANDERS (29-15-5)
7 p.m. ET; ESPN+, MSG+, SUN, NHL.TV

New York won five in a row before a 3-2 shootout loss at the Chicago Blackhawks on Jan. 22, their finale before the 2019 Honda All-Star Game and NHL-mandated five-day break. The Islanders are 15-3-1 in their past 19 games and 5-1-1 at the Coliseum this season.
The League-leading Lightning returned from their break on Wednesday, when they lost 4-2 at the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tampa Bay lost 5-1 to the Islanders at Barclays Center on Jan. 13, which began a stretch that has seen the Lightning go 2-3-0.

Players to watch

Lightning forward Steven Stamkos has 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in a seven-game point streak. He has at least one point in each of his past four games against New York (one goal, four assists).
Islanders center Mathew Barzal has two goals and five assists in his past eight games.

They said it

"They don't have egos on their team. I coached their captain (Anders Lee), so I know if they follow anywhere in his lead what type of team they have in there. I think it stems from him, it stems from their coach (Barry Trotz). … They've got a group that has really bought into the system." -- Lightning coach Jon Cooper
"It is what it is. Every team is getting the same break, so I think we've had a good couple days of getting ready and we'll be ready to go. I think the key is just mentally making sure you're in the right place come puck drop." -- Islanders forward Josh Bailey

Lightning projected lineup

Ondrej Palat -- Steven Stamkos -- Yanni Gourde
Tyler Johnson -- Brayden Point -- Nikita Kucherov
Alex Killorn -- Anthony Cirelli -- J.T. Miller
Adam Erne -- Cedric Paquette -- Mathieu Joseph
Victor Hedman -- Dan Girardi
Ryan McDonagh -- Erik Cernak
Mikhail Sergachev -- Anton Stralman
Andrei Vasilevskiy
Louis Domingue
Scratched:Ryan Callahan, Braydon Coburn, Danick Martel
Injured:None

Islanders projected lineup

Anders Lee -- Brock Nelson -- Jordan Eberle
Anthony Beauvillier -- Mathew Barzal -- Josh Bailey
Michael Dal Colle
-- Valtteri Filppula -- Leo Komarov
Matt Martin -- Casey Cizikas -- Cal Clutterbuck
Nick Leddy -- Johnny Boychuk
Adam Pelech -- Ryan Pulock
Devon Toews -- Scott Mayfield
Thomas Greiss
Robin Lehner
Scratched:Ross Johnston, Tom Kuhnhackl, Luca Sbisa
Injured:Thomas Hickey (upper body), Andrew Ladd (lower body)

Status report

Callahan was one of the last players on the ice for the Lightning's morning skate and is expected to be a healthy scratch for the second straight game. … Dal Colle and Toews were with Bridgeport of the American Hockey League during the break and recalled by the Islanders on Thursday. Ladd and Hickey participated in the morning skate. Ladd hasn't played since Nov. 13; Hickey was injured Dec. 17.

Stat pack

Miller has four goals (three goals, one assist) in his past three games against the Islanders. Hedman has two goals and three assists during a three-game point streak. … New York has outscored its opponents 12-0 in the past 158:22 of first-period play. … The Islanders are 12-2-1 since Toews made his NHL debut on Dec. 23.