The set-up
The Sens (7-15-1) made it three straight wins after a gutsy 3-2 shootout win over the Devils on the road Monday night.
New York (5-10-5) have lost 11 straight and have not won in a more than a month as their last win came on Nov. 6 against Winnipeg. However, they have collected points in their last three games after two overtime losses and a shootout defeat to Chicago on Sunday.
All five of the Islanders' wins this year have come on the road while the Senators are 4-8-0 on home ice.
The Isles are winless when their opponent scores first while four of Ottawa's six wins have come when they get the first goal.
Part of the reason for the Islanders' struggles are that they cannot score; they rank 31st in the NHL as they average 1.90 goals per game while Ottawa scores 2.57 a game.
Ottawa is off to a flyer in December having gone 3-1-0 in its first four games.
Roster notes
Senators head coach D.J. Smith was noncommittal on his lineup for tonight's game while there's no confirmation on who his starting goaltender will be.
Defenceman Dillon Heatherington was removed from the NHL's Covid-19 protocol list.
Previous history
Tonight is the 100th all-time meeting between the Sens and Islanders and thus far, Ottawa has dominated the series.
The Senators are 54-27-7 with 11 ties. On home ice, the Sens are 27-14-3 with five ties. In the previous 99 contests, the Senators have averaged 3.39 goals per game against the Isles, the second most against any NHL in franchise history (behind 3.47 goals per game vs. Atlanta/Winnipeg).
As a member of the Sens, Tyler Ennis has scored twice in two games against the Islanders while over the course of his career, he has seven goals and 13 points in 23 games against New York.
Who to watch
Brady Tkachuk has been on a tear in December as in four games, he has four goals and seven points.
The Sens captain's eight goals and 18 points rank second on the team while his 52 penalty minutes leads not just the Senators, but the NHL.
Where to watch
Tuesday's game can be seen live on TSN5 and RDS2 at 7 p.m. Fans can also tune into the radio call on TSN 1200 and Unique FM 94,5.
