The New York Islanders begin a four-game home stand Tuesday night as they host the Detroit Red Wings in an inter-conference match up at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y. Surprisingly, the last-place Islanders (14-19-6, 34 points) have earned three straight victories over the Red Wings (26-24-1, 53 points), who are in a three-way tie for first place in the Western Conference's Central Division.
On Saturday, the Islanders finished their three-game road trip with a 5-1 loss at the Phoenix Coyotes. The night before, New York had lost to at the Anaheim Ducks, 4-2. That loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Islanders.
Currently, New York center John Tavares is on a five-game point streak, which has included two goals and seven assist.
Meanwhile, the Red Wings are playing well, as they are winners of five of their last seven games and pulled within a three-way tie of first place with the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues.
For more on Islanders hockey, check out the SB Nation blog Lighthouse Hockey.