Tampa Bay @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 8, 2018 ) NY Islanders 2, Tampa Bay 4

The red-hot Tampa Bay Lightning look to follow up another thrilling comeback victory with a better 60-minute effort when they visit the New York Islanders on Sunday. The Lightning scored three unanswered goals in the third period to rally past Buffalo 5-3 on Saturday as Nikita Kucherov, who leads the NHL with 75 points, recorded a goal and two assists.

“We slept-walked through the first period,” Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper, whose team was outshot 16-6 in the first period, told reporters. “Especially (against) a team that had to travel and come in on a back-to-back, we just didn’t execute. … But, to be honest, I left them alone and the leaders took over in the second period. … We got stronger and stronger.” While the Lightning - 18-1-1 in their last 20 games - lead everyone in the league in points, the Islanders are in a battle for a playoff position in the Eastern Conference after winning 10 of their last 13 contests. New York coach Barry Trotz told reporters his team played better on Saturday than it did during a win over the crosstown-rival Rangers two days earlier in the opener of the home-and-home series, but it went 0-for-6 on the power play and fell 2-1 at home. “We played better overall in spurts,” Islanders captain Anders Lee told reporters after Saturday’s setback. “It wasn’t a complete game by any means, but we had opportunities. … It wasn’t close to being a full 60 (minutes), which we needed.”

TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Sun (Tampa Bay), MSG Plus (New York)

ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (35-8-2): Kucherov, who has scored 10 of his 22 goals over the last 13 games, Brayden Point (61 points) and captain Steven Stamkos (51) give Tampa Bay three players with at least 50 points through 45 contests for the first time in franchise history. Defenseman Victor Hedman also has picked up his production level with a goal and nine assists over his last nine games. Andrei Vasilevskiy, who stopped 57 of the 58 shots he faced in his last two contests, is expected back in the crease after being rested on Saturday.

ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (24-15-4): Anthony Beauvillier scored the only goal for New York on Saturday to snap his nine-game drought and Josh Bailey notched an assist to tie Lee for second on the team with 33 points. Last season’s Calder Trophy winner, Mathew Barzal has registered a team-best 41 points and collected a goal and two assists on Thursday before being kept off the scoresheet two days later. Robin Lehner was in net Saturday, and that could mean the start against Tampa Bay will go to Thomas Greiss, who lost his only one thus far this month.

OVERTIME

1. The next game played by Tampa Bay C J.T. Miller (upper body), who returned to the lineup Saturday after missing six contests, will be the 400th of his career.

2. New York RW Jordan Eberle has recorded two goals in his last four games and needs one for 200 in the NHL.

3. The Lightning have won six of the last seven regular-season meetings, including all three in 2017-18 by a combined score of 17-10.

PREDICTION: Islanders 4, Lightning 3