Isles seek fourth straight win as Canucks visit
NEW YORK -- The New York Islanders hope their victory Saturday night marked the beginning of an ability to win low-scoring defensive battles.
The Vancouver Canucks hope their loss Sunday night signaled the end of their misfortune in one-goal games.
The teams square off Tuesday night at Barclays Center.
The Islanders extended their winning streak to three games Saturday when they edged the host Ottawa Senators 2-1.
The Canucks, in the midst of a six-game road trip, dropped their second straight game -- both of which were one-goal affairs -- with a 4-3 shootout loss to the New York Rangers on Sunday.
For the Islanders (14-7-2), the win was their first of the season in which they scored fewer than three goals.
Thriving in higher-scoring duels is nothing new for New York, which is tied for third in the NHL with 84 goals. The Islanders have won just four of the past 41 games (4-25-12) in which they failed to score three goals dating to the start of last season.
But if the Islanders are going to maintain their strong start and make a deep playoff run, they will need to win games in the fashion they displayed Saturday. The franchise has advanced beyond the first round of the postseason just once since 1993.
"You know when you get to the dog days, January-February, you're not going to see those big numbers," Islanders coach Doug Weight told Newsday after the Saturday game. "You have to get some experience in the low-scoring games. That's what you're going to see in April and May."
Close games are also a staple of the playoffs, and any hope the Canucks (11-9-4) have of getting to the postseason rests on faring better in one-goal games.
Vancouver is 2-2-4 in such games and has blown a two-goal lead twice in one-goal losses, including Sunday.
"We have to find ways to win these games when you're up a couple goals," Canucks left winger Loui Eriksson said Sunday. "It's tough when they come back and win it like this. It's something we need to do better."
The goalie matchup will likely pit two No. 1s in the Islanders' Thomas Greiss and the Canucks' Jacob Markstrom.
While Islanders No. 2 goalie Jaroslav Halak (31 saves) enjoyed an impressive game Saturday, Greiss has won his last five starts dating to Nov. 11 and hasn't lost in regulation in seven starts this month. Greiss is 2-2-0 in four career appearances against the Canucks.
Markstrom took the loss Sunday when he made 17 saves. It was the fifth defeat in the past six starts dating to Nov. 9 for Markstrom, who is 1-4-1 in that span. He is 1-3-0 in four career games against the Islanders.
The Islanders are likely to be without center Casey Cizikas, who sustained a lower-body injury Saturday night and didn't practice Monday. A trio of injured Canucks -- right winger Derek Dorsett (neck and back), defenseman Erik Gudbranson (upper body) and center Brandon Sutter (undisclosed) -- are expected to miss the Tuesday game.
