Panthers Road Trip Continues Against Red-Hot Islanders
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BROOKLYN (CBSMiami/SportsDirect) – The Florida Panthers could have their hands full on Tuesday night.
Jaroslav Halak and the New York Islanders have been steamrolling the competition of late, but a loss to the Panthers 2 1/2 weeks ago left a sour taste in their mouths.
The red-hot Islanders look for a bit of revenge when they attempt to extend their winning streak to four contests and their point streak to 11 games against the visiting Panthers.
Halak, who sat out New York's 4-0 victory over New Jersey on Sunday, is expected to get the nod against Florida, versus which he owns a 9-2-1 career mark with two shutouts and a stingy 1.89 goals-against average.
The 30-year-old wasn't as fortunate in his last meeting, however, as he made 25 saves in a 3-2 shootout loss on Nov. 27.
While the Islanders are 8-0-2 in their last 10, the Panthers suffered their third loss in four outings on Saturday with a 3-1 setback to Boston.
Former Bruin Reilly Smith scored his team's lone goal for Florida, which has won each of its last three encounters with New York.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Florida, MSG-Plus (New York)
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (14-12-4): Jaromir Jagr scored his 731st career goal versus Washington on Thursday to pull into a tie for fourth place on the all-time list with Marcel Dionne.
The 43-year-old Jagr notched an assist in his previous encounter with the Islanders, but has just two tallies in his last 17 meetings with New York.
Roberto Luongo made 23 saves versus the Islanders last month to improve to 4-0-1 in his last five versus the team that selected him with the fourth overall pick of the 1997 draft.
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (18-8-5): Captain John Tavares is showing signs of picking himself off the mat, netting his third goal and fourth point in the last 10 games on Sunday.
While Tavares is struggling to find his game, he admitted to the New York Post that the rest of the team seems to be working as one.
"I think it's just the maturity of the group," Tavares said. "Obviously we're very familiar with one another and the way we need to play. The maturity is understanding being ready to play every night, finding ways to win."
OVERTIME
- New York D Marek Zidlicky, who tallied twice versus his former team on Sunday, notched a pair of assists in his previous meeting with Florida.
- The Panthers have scored just twice in their last 25 power-play opportunities.
- The Islanders last recorded at least a point in 11 straight games during the 2012-13 season, when they went 8-0-3 from April 1-23.
The Panthers face the New York Islanders on Tuesday, December 15th at 7:00 p.m. You can hear every game on Sports Radio 560 WQAM, the radio home of the Florida Panthers.
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