Maple Leafs at Islanders preview

MAPLE LEAFS (45-26-7) at ISLANDERS (46-26-7)
7 p.m. ET; MSG+ 2, SNO, NHL.TV

The Maple Leafs are seeking their third straight playoff appearance. They're third in the Atlantic Division, six points behind the Boston Bruins.
It will be John Tavares' second game in New York since signing a seven-year, $77 million contract with Toronto on July 1, 2018. The Islanders won 6-1 at Nassau Coliseum on Feb. 28.
New York clinched a playoff berth with a 5-1 win against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday. The Islanders trail the Washington Capitals by three points for first place in the Metropolitan Division and are two points ahead of the third-place Pittsburgh Penguins.

Players to watch

Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews has scored in back-to-back games. He has four points (two goals, two assists) during a three-game point streak.
Islanders forward Jordan Eberle has five points (four goals, one assist) in his past four games.

They said it

"Everyone has their feelings. It is what it is. I just tried to be the best player I could be and help [the Islanders] as best I could when I was here. I gave it everything I had. It's up to everyone else to feel the way they felt. I'm just trying to do the best I can for the Maple Leafs." -- Maple Leafs center John Tavares
"Our focus is to play well, just the process. We're not out of the woods yet; we need to make sure we secure a good spot. Obviously, we'd love to have home-ice advantage." -- Islanders coach Barry Trotz

Maple Leafs projected lineup

Zach Hyman -- John Tavares -- Mitch Marner
Andreas Johnsson -- Auston Matthews -- William Nylander
Patrick Marleau -- Nazem Kadri -- Kasperi Kapanen
Tyler Ennis -- Frederik Gauthier -- Connor Brown
Morgan Rielly -- Ron Hainsey
Jake Muzzin -- Nikita Zaitsev
Calle Rosen
-- Travis Dermott
Frederik Andersen
Garret Sparks
Scratched:Martin Marincin, Trevor Moore, Nic Petan, Justin Holl, Igor Ozhiganov
Injured:Jake Gardiner (back)

Islanders projected lineup

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

Status report

Muzzin and Johnsson did not participate in the Maple Leafs morning skate. "One I think has food poisoning and the other one had little chills," coach Mike Babcock said. Neither has been ruled out for the game. … Gardiner, who hasn't played since Feb. 25, was a full participant and is hoping to return later this week. … Rosen was recalled from Toronto of the American Hockey League on Sunday. … Filppula was on the ice; Trotz said there is no timeframe for his return yet. … Fritz is out 6-8 weeks after a blood clot formed in his hand. He had surgery Saturday.

Stat pack

The Islanders have outscored the Maple Leafs 10-1 in two games this season. … Tavares has nine points (six goals, three assists) in his past seven games.