NY Islanders travel to Tampa Bay for matinee matchup as playoff race heats up

The New York Islanders will have another chance to push themselves into a playoff spot on Saturday afternoon as they head down to Tampa Bay to take on the Lightning at Amalie Arena. Face-off is scheduled for 2:00 PM EST. The Isles (74 points) are now looking up at the New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens, and Columbus Jackets, all with 75 points after CBJ rallied to beat the Vancouver Canucks 7-6 in a shootout, while the Rangers blew a two-goal lead in the final 5 minutes and fell 5-4 to the Anaheim Ducks in overtime. Montreal, meanwhile, has lost three in a row.

Patrick Roy stated that defenseman Adam Boqvist will draw back in the lineup (this time on the blueline) in place of Mike Reilly. The move is geared to help the power play that has continued to struggle. “We need a power-play guy, that’s why we’ll go with him,” Roy said after practice on Friday. “He’s got skills, he moves the puck well. He’s got a nice shot.” Scott Mayfield and Scott Perunovich will be the other healthy scratches on defense.

The Islanders hold a 1-0 edge in the season series after a 3-2 overtime win over Tampa Bay on Feb. 1, with Tony DeAngelo netting the game-winner. That victory snapped a five-game road losing streak against the Lightning but came at a cost, as Mathew Barzal suffered an injury late in the game and has remained sidelined. The two teams will face off twice quickly to wrap up their season series. After Saturday’s game, they’ll meet again on Tuesday at UBS Arena. While it serves as a home-and-home for Tampa Bay, the Islanders will have a matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes between the two matchups versus the Lightning.

New York’s six-game point streak came to an end on Wednesday in a 5-2 defeat against the Vancouver Canucks at UBS Arena. Casey Cizikas and Tony DeAngelo scored for the Islanders, while Ilya Sorokin surrendered four goals on 19 shots before Marcus Hogberg stopped all five shots he faced in relief. Sorokin is expected to start in Tampa Bay, while Hogberg will be between the pipes on Sunday night in Carolina. With 89 points, the Lightning are safely in playoff position and are only two out of first place in the Atlantic Division. John Cooper's team enters the matchup on a high note after steamrolling the Utah Hockey Club 8-0 on Thursday. Nikita Kucherov led the charge with a four-point night (1G, 3A), while Victor Hedman (1G, 2A), Brayden Point (1G, 1A), Oliver Bjorkstrand (2G), Jake Guentzel (2G), and Gage Goncalves all contributed to the blowout win.

The weekend back-to-back games against two of the stronger teams in the Eastern Conference are both an opportunity and a big challenge for the Isles as they look to keep pace in a playoff race that is waiting for one team to take control.