Boston @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 5, 2019 ) NY Islanders 1, Boston 3

The New York Islanders have not been in first place this late in the season in 31 years but they will face one of their biggest nemesis when the Boston Bruins visit Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Tuesday night. New York has lost six in a row overall to Boston, including both meetings this season, and seven consecutive matchups at home versus the Bruins.

The Islanders salvaged a split of a weekend back-to-back, rebounding from a 2-1 loss at Detroit with a 3-2 overtime win in Minnesota to move into a tie with Washington atop the Metropolitan Division. "An opportunity to get back into first place, we knew today's game was important," forward Brock Nelson said after scoring in overtime to lift the team to its fifth win in seven games (5-2-0). Boston holds a four-point lead for second place in the Atlantic after ending a three-game slide -- all away from home -- with a 2-1 overtime victory over Columbus but now heads back on the road to play four in a row. "The last 10 games are going to be close and very tight," Bruins captain Zdeno Chara said. "We have to be really ready to play these types of games."

TV: 7 p.m. ET, Sportsnet East, Sportsnet Ontario, NESN (Boston), MSG-Plus (New York)

ABOUT THE BRUINS (43-20-9): All-Star forward David Pastrnak was a full participant in practice Monday on Boston's top line and could return to the lineup for the first time since suffering a thumb injury on Feb. 10. Coach Bruce Cassidy termed Pastrnak, who remains tied for the team lead with 31 goals despite the 16-game absence, a game-time decision for Tuesday's matchup. "It felt good. It was nice to get shots, as you could see," Pastrnak said. "Good shots and one-timers and no pain, so that's very good. I'm happy I'm moving forward."

ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (42-23-7): Even after Robin Lehner returned from a three-game injury absence, coach Barry Trotz has stayed with Thomas Greiss, who earned NHL First Star of the Week honors on Monday. Greiss went 3-1-0 during the four-game stretch, including the weekend back-to-back, while turning aside 116 of 121 shots to improve to 22-12-2 with a career-best 2.21 goals-against average. Leading scorer Mathew Barzal collected a pair of assists Sunday to boost his point total to 58 and has set up four goals in five career meetings versus Boston.

OVERTIME

1. The Islanders have dropped 10 of 11 at home to Boston, with the last win coming in November 2013.

2. Bruins LW Brad Marchand has 16 points in his last 10 games overall and three in two meetings versus the Islanders this season.

3. Islanders captain Anders Lee, riding a four-game goal streak, has scored four times in 14 games against Boston.

PREDICTION: Bruins 3, Islanders 2