Game Preview: Islanders vs Senators

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (18-13-4) VS OTTAWA SENATORS (15-18-4)
7 PM | BARCLAYS CENTER | BUY TICKETS
WATCH: MSG+ | MSG GO | NHL.TV
LISTEN: 88.7FM WRHU | 103.9FM LI NEWS | RADIO.COM/ISLANDERS
GAME NOTES | MORNING SKATE UPDATES

Video: Defense Paving Path to Victory

ISLANDERS NOTES:

• The Islanders have won four of their last five games, including a 3-1-0 Western Conference road trip heading into the Christmas break. The Islanders allowed just one goal in all three of their wins on the road.
  - Cal Clutterbuck (lower body), Jordan Eberle (stiffness) and Thomas Hickey (upper body - IR) were all absent from Thursday's practice. Eberle is the most likely to return, though Barry Trotz said Clutterbuck could re-join the group on Friday, but it's unclear whether that's in a practice sense, or for the game against the Senators.
  - Casey Cizikas has matched his career high in goals (9) with more than half the season remaining.
  - The Islanders are allowing the fifth-fewest goals-against per game (2.71) in the NHL.
  - The Islanders (40 points) are four points back of the Pittsburgh Penguins (44) for third in the Metropolitan Division and three points back of the Montreal Canadiens (43) for the second Wild Card. The Isles have two games in hand on both teams.
  - Mathew Barzal leads the Islanders with 29 points (4G, 25A).

SENATORS NOTES:

• While the Islanders are near the top of the league defensively, the Senators are at the bottom. Ottawa has allowed a league-high 3.89 goals-against per game, which is even more than the Isles allowed last season (3.57).
  - Goalie Craig Anderson and defenseman Justin Falk will both miss Friday's game with concussions.
  - The Senators have lost two straight games heading into Friday's action.
  - Mark Stone leads the Senators in goals (16) and points (24).
  - Defenseman Thomas Chabot has 37 points (10G, 27A) in 37 games this season, which ranks second in the NHL against blueliners.