The New York Islanders will try to continue their successful road trip when they take on the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday.
The Isles started off their five-game road trip with a resounding 7-4 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. The team started off its following game against the Boston Bruins well but imploded in the third period. Keith Aucoin has been a tremendous waiver wire pickup for GM Garth Snow and Michael Grabner continues to play the way he did in 2010-11 when he was a rookie of the year finalist. Rick DiPietro had a solid start against Boston, but Evgeni Nabokov likely gets the start against the Jets. The Islanders need more from their top line however. John Tavares has four assists in the first four games but has yet to score and was completely ineffective against the Bruins. Matt Moulson scored twice against Toronto but looked sloppy in Boston. Kyle Okposo has one goal on the season, but has been inconsistent throughout the first four games.
The Winnipeg Jets got off to a poor start with a pair of losses to the Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins, but the team has shown character in its recent wins over the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins. The latter win was most impressive as the Jets battled back from a 2-0 deficit and scored four unanswered goals to vault the Jets to their second straight win. Ondrej Pavelec has started all four games for the Jets and has put up an impressive 2.20 goal against average and 93.2 save percentage. Former Islanders goalie AL Montoya may get his first start since joining the Jets last summer.
Predictions: This will be a potent battle and should see both sides showcase their speed. The Jets are usually very good at home but the Islanders won three of four last year against the Jets. Expect a big game from Tavares who will look to improve upon his recent performances. 3-1 Islanders.
Start Time: 8 PM EST
TV Info MSG Plus 2, TSN-Jets