The New York Islanders face the Ottawa Senators with both teams looking to improve from rough seasons. The Islanders have a 23-21-5 record and with only one win in the last 10 games have fallen to the bottom of the Metropolitan Division. The Senators have a 20-23-3 record and with back-to-back losses have fallen to the bottom of the Atlantic Division. Both teams are looking to improve within their divisions and the Eastern Conference and the upcoming game looks to be a good one as a result.
The Islanders are having a season to forget with their offense falling apart and scoring only 2.92 goals per game with only 10 goals in the last five games. Brock Nelson, Anders Lee, and Mathew Barzal have scored 45 goals and 72 assists but the rest of the offense has struggled. Only six skaters have 10 goals or more and opponents can eliminate the hapless offense with ease.
The offense has struggled but the defense has stepped up, allowing only 2.82 goals per game. Ryan Pulock and Alexander Romanov have combined for 5.4 defensive point shares and 175 blocked shots while Adam Pelech, Scott Mayfield, and Sebastian Aho have combined for 6.0 defensive point shares to add depth to the unit. In addition, goaltender Ilya Sorokin has been great with a .922 save percentage and a 2.44 goals-against average on 1101 shots.