Preview: Islanders at Blackhawks

[March 17, 2015]  The Chicago Blackhawks' sizzling surge has put them back in contention for the Central Division title while the New York Islanders are rapidly losing ground in the Metropolitan. The Blackhawks vie for their seventh win in nine contests when they host the Islanders on Tuesday. Patrick Sharp ended a 19-game goal drought by scoring twice as Chicago skated to a 6-2 victory over San Jose on Saturday.

While the Blackhawks are 6-1-1 in their last eight to move within five points of both St. Louis and Nashville in the Central, the Islanders are 2-4-2 in that stretch to drop five points behind the first-place New York Rangers. Josh Bailey scored his team's lone goal as the Islanders dropped their third straight with a 3-1 setback to Montreal on Saturday. New York can take solace in knowing that it snapped a three-game skid with a 3-2 home victory over Chicago on Dec. 13, improving to 8-2-2 in the last 12 meetings.

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, MSG-Plus2 (New York), CSCH (Chicago)
 

ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (43-24-4): Defenseman Nick Leddy, who has missed the last three games with an upper-body injury, is traveling with the team but is not expected to face his former club on Tuesday. Leddy assisted on Kyle Okposo's goal in the first meeting and blue-liner Lubomir Visnovsky scored the go-ahead tally 51 seconds later in the third period. Visnovsky was a healthy scratch against Montreal, but is expected to return to the lineup on Tuesday.

ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (41-21-6): Coach Joel Quenneville has been looking for players to step up in the wake of superstar Patrick Kane suffering a broken clavicle on Feb. 24. Quenneville has received just one assist during that seven-game stretch from Kris Versteeg, who wound up skating with suspended rookie Joakim Nordstrom and defenseman Johnny Oduya during Monday's practice while Sharp assumed Versteeg's position on the top line with captain Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa. "Sharpie deserves a chance to move up, and we're just looking for more (from Versteeg)," Quenneville told the Chicago Sun-Times. "His last game wasn't very good."

OVERTIME

1. Chicago LW Brandon Saad, who had an assist in the first meeting with New York, scored and set up a goal versus the Sharks.

2. Bailey has collected three goals and three assists in his last seven games.

3. The Blackhawks have scored two power-play goals in each of their last two games after going five contests without one.

PREDICTION: Blackhawks 4, Islanders 2

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