Islanders face the Maple Leafs in Eastern Conference showdown
Toronto Maple Leafs (45-26-7, third in the Atlantic Division) vs. New York Islanders (46-26-7, second in the Metropolitan Division)
Uniondale, New York; Monday, 7 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: The New York Islanders and the Toronto Maple Leafs hit the ice at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in a matchup of two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. New York is fourth in the conference and Toronto is fifth in conference play.
The Islanders are 24-12-4 at home. New York is last in the Eastern Conference shooting 28.8 shots per game.
The Maple Leafs are 22-12-5 on the road. Toronto ranks sixth in the Eastern Conference shooting 10.7 percent and averaging 3.6 goals on 33.3 shots per game. In their last meeting on Feb. 28, New York won 6-1. Brock Nelson recorded a team-high 2 points for the Islanders in the victory.
TOP PERFORMERS: Anders Lee leads the Islanders with a plus-21 in 79 games played this season. Nelson has totaled three goals and four assists over the last 10 games for New York.
LAST 10 GAMES: Maple Leafs: 3-5-2, averaging 3.3 goals, 5.4 assists, 2.3 penalties and 5.4 penalty minutes while giving up 4.1 goals per game with a .874 save percentage.
Islanders: 6-4-0, averaging 2.2 goals, 3.8 assists, 2.9 penalties and 7.2 penalty minutes while giving up 2.4 goals per game with a .925 save percentage.
Islanders Injuries: Tanner Fritz: out (upper body), Andrew Ladd: out for season (torn acl), Valtteri Filppula: out (upper body).
Maple Leafs Injuries: Jake Gardiner: day to day (undisclosed).
