Ottawa @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 28, 2018 ) Ottawa 3, NY Islanders 6

The New York Islanders have fallen out of first place in the Metropolitan Division with five losses in the last seven games and look to start steering their ship in the right direction when the NHL-worst Ottawa Senators visit the Nassau Coliseum on Tuesday. The Islanders are 2-4-1 during their slide after losing consecutive contests to first-place Washington and red-hot Philadelphia at home while managing a combined two goals.

“We have a little bit of adversity. We’ll stick together and figure it out,” New York captain Anders Lee told reporters after Sunday’s 4-1 setback against the Flyers. “. … I don’t know if it’s effort. It’s the play. We want to get back to that consistent play, absolutely. We’re gripping it a little tight.” The Islanders can move back into first place with a victory as Washington does not play until Wednesday, and go for a fifth win in six meetings against the Senators - a run that includes a 6-3 triumph on Dec. 28 with two goals and an assist from center Mathew Barzal. Marc Crawford replaced Guy Boucher as coach Friday and gained his first win behind the bench since 2010-11 with Dallas on Sunday, as Ottawa outlasted Florida 3-2 to end a seven-game losing streak. “I thought we did a real good job of getting a lot better in those crucial areas,” Crawford told reporters. “Our battle level was higher. We had it from the older players and we had it from younger players. … The belief that (we) showed and how we were playing was the kind of belief that you get from a team that’s playing for something.”

TV: 7 p.m. ET, RDS, TSN5 (Ottawa), MSG Plus (New York)

ABOUT THE SENATORS (23-38-5): Power forward Zack Smith scored his seventh goal of the season Sunday and is slated to become the ninth player in franchise history to play 600 NHL games Tuesday. Forward Brian Gibbons has a goal and two assists in four games since being acquired and told reporters, “I had a tough year to start, out in Anaheim. I’ve just used the trade as a fresh start and to kind of save my season a little bit.” Thomas Chabot (team-high 47 points) has been kept off the scoresheet in the last four games and the defenseman managed one assist in the past seven.

ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (37-21-7): New York’s influential fourth line could be apart for a third straight game as Matt Martin (upper body) missed the last two while Cal Clutterbuck (head) and Casey Cizikas (illness) both left Sunday’s game. Barzal has only two of his team-leading 52 points in the last seven contests, but Josh Bailey is one shy of reaching 50 for the third straight season after recording nine in as many games. Brock Nelson registered three goals along with four assists in his past eight contests and Lee tops the team with 22 goals, but has only one in the last five games.

OVERTIME

1. Ottawa RW Bobby Ryan is mired in a seven-game point drought and owns a minus-7 rating in that span.

2. New York LW Andrew Ladd recorded an assist in each of the three games since returning from injured reserve.

3. The Senators are 17-of-18 on the penalty kill in the past seven games while the Islanders are 0-for-10 on the power play in the last five.

PREDICTION: Islanders 5, Senators 3