Islanders Schedule 2011: Stars, Wild Highlight Big Week

The New York Islanders continue their quest this week to get back to .500 after hitting a little snag at the end of last week.

The resurgent Islanders quieted down at the end of last week. New York had won four out of its last five games (and avoided a regulation loss) before the Islanders fell in their last two games at home (once to the Blackhawks in OT and then to the dangerous Penguins, 6-3).

Of course, as Dominik pointed out at our Islanders blog, Lighthouse Hockey, these are small samples. More accurately, the Islanders are 9-12-6 and have a lot of work to do, starting this week.

This week, New York will face two division leaders in the Dallas Stars (7 p.m. ET on MSG+) and Minnesota Wild (8 p.m. ET on MSG+). But first, the Islanders begin the week against the Montreal Canadiens (7:30 p.m. ET on MSG+), who New York defeated 4-3 in the first meeting between the teams this season.

One obvious place the Islanders can look to improve is on the power play, where New York netted just one goal in 13 tries in its last two losses. Compare that to the 33 percent conversion rate during the stretch of winning hockey and you see what a difference it can make when a team converts easy opportunities.

For more on the Islanders, visit Lighthouse Hockey.