NHL On Tap: Islanders try to overcome injuries against Penguins

Welcome to the NHL On Tap. Three NHL.com writers will share what they are most looking forward to on the schedule each day. Today, their choices from the six games Monday.

Short-handed Islanders look for win in Pittsburgh

The New York Islanders are both beaten down and beat up heading into an important Eastern Conference clash against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena (7 p.m. ET; ATTSN-PT, MSGSN, ESPN+, SN NOW). The Islanders (28-24-7) are 1-2-2 in their past five games after a 6-2 loss to the Boston Bruins on Saturday, a game they trailed 3-0 after one period and could never recover. To make matters worse, center Mathew Barzal is out week to week with a lower-body injury. Forwards Josh Bailey and Jean-Gabriel Pageau are also out, each with an upper-body injury, so the Islanders will be missing three important forwards against Pittsburgh (27-19-9). Don't expect the Penguins to be sympathetic about the Islanders' plight. They have lost two straight, including 5-2 at home to the New Jersey Devils on Saturday, and three of their past four. The Penguins and Islanders are tied for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the East, each with 63 points, one behind the Florida Panthers. -- Jim Cerny, managing editor

Kraken can gain ground in Pacific Division

If you don't believe in the Seattle Kraken, start. If you still consider the second-year NHL team a fluke, stop. For those too stubborn to deem the Kraken (32-18-6) legit Stanley Cup Playoff contenders, they enter the game at the San Jose Sharks (4 p.m. ET; NBCSCA, ROOT-NW, ESPN+, SN NOW) third in the Pacific Division, two points behind the first-place Vegas Golden Knights and one behind the second-place Los Angeles Kings. Except for Matty Beniers, a favorite for the Calder Trophy given to the NHL rookie of the year, don't expect Seattle players to be consider for most postseason awards. That's actually a good thing. The Kraken have 11 skaters with double-digit goals and four with at least 40 points. "The strength of this team is the depth we have," forward Jordan Eberle said. "You go into playoffs, and you have that, that's a tough thing to beat." The Sharks (17-29-11) try to play spoiler but might be without forward Timo Meier, a 31-goal scorer who's day to day with an upper-body injury. -- Jon Lane, staff writer

Motte returns to Rangers for playoff race

Tyler Motte is expected to make his New York Rangers season debut when they host the Winnipeg Jets (7 p.m. ET; SN, TVAS, MSG, ESPN+). The 27-year-old forward was acquired by the Rangers (33-14-9) in a trade with the Ottawa Senators on Sunday for forward Julien Gauthier and a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. It's the second straight season Motte was acquired before the NHL Trade Deadline by the Rangers. Last season, he helped New York reach the Eastern Conference Final, when it lost in six games to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Motte will be expected to play a similar bottom-six role this time around. He has nine points (three goals, six assists) in 38 games this season, missing 16 with an injury. New York trails the New Jersey Devils by four points for second place in the Metropolitan Division. The Jets (34-21-1) are two points ahead of the Colorado Avalanche for second in the Central Division and three points behind the Dallas Stars for first place. -- Mike G. Morreale, staff writer

Monday games

Anaheim Ducks at Florida Panthers (1 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, BSFL, BSSC, SN NOW)
The Ducks (17-33-6) have lost four in a row, outscored 26-11 in that span. They open a four-game road trip against the Panthers (28-25-6), who are struggling at the wrong time with three losses in five games (2-3-0). Though they're one point behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the second wild card from the East, Pittsburgh holds four games in hand. Florida captain Aleksander Barkov reached 50 points (16 goals, 34 assists) for an eighth consecutive season.
Ottawa Senators at Boston Bruins (1 p.m. ET; NESN, TSN5, RDS, ESPN+, SN NOW)
Julien Gauthier will likely debut for the Senators (27-24-4). The forward and a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft were acquired in a trade with the New York Rangers for forward Tyler Motte on Sunday. Ottawa captain Brady Tkachuk had a goal and two assists in a 7-2 win against the St. Louis Blues on Sunday to extend his point streak to an NHL career-long six games (five goals, six assists). The Bruins (42-8-5) have won three in a row, lead the NHL with 89 points and are an NHL-best 23-2-3 at home. However, they are 0-1-1 against the Senators this season.
Seattle Kraken at San Jose Sharks (4 p.m. ET; NBCSCA, ROOT-NW, ESPN+, SN NOW)
Jordan Eberle's three-point game (two goals, one assists) in a 4-2 win against the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday was the forward's fourth with the Kraken, the most in their history ahead of Andre Burakovsky and Jaden Schwartz (three each). Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson's 55 even-strength points lead the NHL. Bobby Orr (co-led in 1969-70, outright in 1974-75) is the only defenseman to lead the category in a completed season since the NHL began tracking the stat in 1933-34.
Philadelphia Flyers at Calgary Flames (4 p.m. ET; SN1, SNW, TVAS2, NBCSP, ESPN+, SN NOW)
The Flyers (22-25-10), who've lost four in a row (0-3-1), have allowed opponents to score first in 34 of their 57 games. Elias Lindholm of the Flames (26-19-11) is two points from becoming the third player from the 2013 NHL Draft to reach 500 (Nathan MacKinnon, Barkov). He missed a 3-2 overtime win against the New York Rangers on Saturday to be with his wife for the birth of their first child.
New York Islanders at Pittsburgh Penguins (7 p.m. ET; ATTSN-PT, MSGSN, ESPN+, SN NOW)
This is the third of four games in the season series; the Islanders won the first two, each in New York, including 5-4 last Friday. Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson has seven points (one goal, six assists) in a five-game point streak. Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry returns from an upper-body injury and will start for the first time since Jan. 22. Forward Rickard Rakell has six points (three goals, three assists) in his past three games for the Penguins, who are 5-6-4 against Metropolitan Division opponents this season.
Winnipeg Jets at New York Rangers (7 p.m. ET; SN, TVAS, MSG, ESPN+)
The Jets look to sweep the season series after they defeated the Rangers 4-1 in Winnipeg on Oct. 14. Winnipeg has lost two straight after a 4-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Sunday. Artemi Panarin has 15 points (six goals, nine assists) in a seven-game point streak for the Rangers, who had their seven-game winning streak end with a 3-2 overtime loss to the Calgary Flames on Saturday.