NEW YORK ISLANDERS (17-18-7) VS OTTAWA SENATORS (21-18-3)
7:30 PM | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS
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The New York Islanders are back home and ready to dive into a season-long, seven game homestand when they host the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday at UBS Arena.
The Islanders earned their third consecutive win when they grinded out a 2-1 win over the Utah Hockey Club on Saturday in Salt Lake City. Mathew Barzal buried the game-winner with 1:25 to play after Brock Nelson scored for the Islanders while Marcus Hogberg stopped 21 of 22 shots in his first victory as an Islander in his second start of the season.
Flying high on the strength of season-high three consecutive wins, Head Coach Patrick Roy knows that his team can stay even-keel with a sole focus on Tuesday night’s challenge.
“When we're coming from a long trip from the west, it's always the first game back that’s the toughest one,” Roy said. “I think we have a lot of experience in this room, and it's the mindset that the guys like to have, to be even keel, take it one game and stay in the present moment.”
The Senators are coming off a 3-2 win over the Dallas Stars on Sunday, sweeping a back-to-back set after a 5-0 shutout over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday. Josh Norris, Tim Stützle and Matthew Highmore scored to build a 3-1 lead early in the third, but the Sens held on to win after Evgenii Dadonov netted a power-play goal for the Stars with under minute left to play. Leevi Merilainen started in both games of the back-to-back and made 53 saves on 55 shots faced.
MORNING SKATE UPDATES
Marcus Hogberg will start in goal on Tuesday, per Head Coach Patrick Roy. Hogberg will make his second straight start after picking up a win in Utah on Saturday. Roy said Ilya Sorokin (illness) isn't quite at 100%, but Hogberg's strong play in Utah is allowing the team to give Sorokin an extra day to recover. Hogberg will also face his former team for the first time as he was drafted by the Senators in the third round of the 2013 Draft and played parts of five seasons for the Senators organization.
Isaiah George will be a game-time decision, per Head Coach Patrick Roy, but the defenseman is expected to return to the lineup after missing three games with an upper-body injury. Alexander Romanov (upper body) is still considered day to day.
SEASON SERIES
The Islanders lead the season series 2-0-0 after a pair of 4-2 wins at Canada’s capital on Nov. 7 and Dec. 8.