Ottawa Senators (37-29-5) at Dallas Stars (30-27-13), 2 p.m.

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Ottawa Senators (37-29-5) at Dallas Stars (30-27-13), 2 p.m.

A poor recent stretch has caused the Ottawa Senators to lose ground in the Northeast Division race, while the Dallas Stars' chances of reaching the postseason have taken a serious hit due to the team's performance following the Olympic break.

These two slumping clubs will face off this afternoon at the American Airlines Center, where the Stars continue what's been a rough homestand thus far.

Dallas has gone 1-2-1 through the first four tests of a critical six-game residency, with the lone victory a startling 8-2 rout of Pacific Division leader San Jose on Tuesday. The Stars failed to build off that impressive win, however, after dropping a 3-2 decision to Philadelphia Thursday night.

A pair of goals from Steve Ott gave Dallas a 2-1 lead after one period, but the Flyers drew even in the second before moving in front to stay on Scott Hartnell's tally 7:55 into the final frame.

The Stars pulled goaltender Kari Lehtonen for an extra attacker with 1:18 remaining, but couldn't score despite owning a power play for the final 29 seconds.

Dallas fell to a disappointing 2-6-1 since the NHL returned to action at the conclusion of the Winter Olympics and now trails Detroit and Calgary by eight points for the eighth and final playoff berth in the Western Conference. Still, Ott remarked afterward that he saw positive signs out of his team's most recent defeat.

"I hate losing as much as anybody, but when there's pride in losing and character in losing, that's what [Thursday] was," Ott said. "Every single line played very well. Kari played great, the D played good. It's pretty hard to be super-upset when the guys put so much pride and character into it."

The Senators haven't had much to feel good about as of late. Ottawa is a woeful 1-6-1 since the break and enters today's matchup saddled with a four- game losing streak after Thursday's 6-3 setback at Atlanta, in which the Thrashers scored three unanswered goals in the third period to break a tie game.

Ottawa, which had mustered one goal or less in each of its first six losses following the NHL's stoppage, did receive scores out of Jarkko Ruutu and Chris Phillips within a 43-second span late in the second period to fight back from a 3-1 deficit.

"It's tough when you get behind early," said Ottawa head coach Cory Clouston. "We're in the same situation we were when we lost five in a row in January. We have to get back on a roll here, but it's tough to win games when you spot teams two or three goals right off the bat."

Goaltender Brian Elliott continued his struggles between the pipes, yielding all six Atlanta goals on 21 shots. The 24-year-old has posted a 3.11 goals against average and an .870 save percentage in his last six appearances (5 starts).

The Senators' slide has dropped them five points behind Buffalo for the top spot in the Northeast Division and into a fifth-place tie with Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference, with Montreal lurking just one point behind in seventh. Ottawa will visit the Canadiens on Monday in the finale of a current three-game road swing.

Ottawa, which has lost three straight and six of its last eight as the guest, has prevailed in its last two encounters with the Stars. The Senators came through with a 4-2 win at the American Airlines Center on December 7, 2007 and bested Dallas in overtime by a 5-4 score in Ottawa last season.

 

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Buffalo Sabres (37-22-10) at Florida Panthers (28-30-11), 7 p.m.

The Sabres are in a fight for the Northeast Division title, which would give them home-ice advantage in the playoff's opening round. However, they'll likely need to win on the road if they want to earn the division crown.

Buffalo continues a five-game road trip this evening at BankAtlantic Center against a Florida Panthers team that is fading from the playoff picture.

The Sabres are 1-1-1 on their road trip so far and were just 1-7-3 over their previous 11 games as the guest prior to a big 6-2 victory at Tampa Bay on Thursday. Following this road trip, Buffalo plays three straight at home before finishing the season with six of its final eight on the road.

Thursday's win did push the Sabres five points up on the second-place Senators with two games in hand and Ottawa is also in action on Saturday.

Jason Pominville netted his second career hat trick in the win over the Lightning, netting two of those goals in helping the Sabres jump out to a 4-0 lead by the end of the second period. Pominville's first regular-season hat trick came back on Jan. 14, 2006 and he also had one in the '06 playoffs.

Derek Roy finished with a short-handed goal and two assists for the Sabres, who had lost their last three overall and improved to 16-13-4 as the guest this season. Ryan Miller made 23 saves.

Buffalo visits a Florida squad that is 1-2-1 over its last four contests following a three-game win streak and is now seven points behind eighth-place Boston in the Eastern Conference with 13 games to play.

Stephen Weiss, Cory Stillman and David Booth all scored for the Panthers on Thursday versus the Coyotes, but Phoenix scored three times in the third frame to force overtime before eventually handing Florida a 4-3 shootout setback.

"We did a lot of good things tonight," Panthers head coach Pete DeBoer said. "Unfortunately they got a few bounces in the third. That's why that team is where their at."

Tomas Vokoun made 43 saves, but did allow the game-tying goal with 59.7 seconds left in regulation. Nathan Horton had two assists in his return to the lineup, as he had missed 17 games since breaking his left tibia on Jan. 21.

Florida fell to 0-1-1 on a four-game homestand and has now dropped six of its last eight at home.

The Panthers notched a 6-2 win at Buffalo on Nov. 18 in the most recent meeting between the clubs to snap a four-game series losing steak. The Sabres have still won six of their last eight over the Panthers in addition to two straight and five of their last six at Florida.

 

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Montreal Canadiens (36-29-6) at Toronto Maple Leafs (25-34-12), 7 p.m.

- A postseason spot that once appeared to be in jeopardy is looking more and more likely for the scorching Montreal Canadiens, who'll be setting their sights on a seventh straight victory in tonight's clash with the Toronto Maple Leafs from the Air Canada Centre.

The Canadiens returned from the Olympic break sitting in eighth place in the Eastern Conference, but now find themselves one point out of fifth after a sizzling 7-1-0 surge. Montreal continued its winning ways Tuesday at New York's Madison Square Garden, where the club scored twice in the third period to come away with a 3-1 verdict over the homestanding Rangers.

Sergei Kostitsyn's goal with 5:59 left to play snapped a 1-1 tie, and Tomas Plekanec sealed the triumph with an empty-netter in the final minute to give Montreal its longest win streak since an eight-game tear from March 23-April 6, 2006.

Goaltender Jaroslav Halak needed to make just 19 saves for the Habs, who finished the night with a 35-20 advantage in shots.

"We are playing with great confidence and we know we can win every night," said center Glen Metropolit, who tallied Montreal's first goal of the game. "We've got to keep it going -- we have some tough games coming up."

The Canadiens presently sit in seventh in the crowded Eastern Conference playoff race, but trail both Philadelphia and Ottawa by just one point for the No. 5 seed. Following tonight's clash, Montreal will host the rival Senators on Monday.

But first, the Canadiens will have to deal with a Toronto squad that's last in the East with 62 points but hasn't played like a pushover as of late. The Maple Leafs have come out on top in five of their last six outings and ran their own winning streak to two games with a 2-1 shootout decision over playoff-hopeful New Jersey on Thursday.

After both teams scored to open the deciding phase, Toronto's Nikolai Kulemin buried a wrister past Devils goaltender Yann Danis before Jean Sebastien Giguere made a right-pad save on New Jersey's Patrick Elias. John Mitchell then clinched it for the Leafs by sneaking a backhander by Danis in the third round.

Giguere stopped 24-of-25 shots during regulation and overtime, with Phil Kessel accounting for Toronto's lone goal prior to the shootout.

"They're a very patient team," Giguere said of the Devils. "Every time you make a mistake they try and make you pay for it," Giguere said. "I thought [Thursday], for being a young team and them being an older team, I thought we were very patient."

The win was the fourth in a row at home for the youthful Maple Leafs, who close out a three-game residency Tuesday against Florida.

Montreal has had its share of recent success as the visitor in this series, however, having left with a victory in each of its three stops at the Air Canada Centre. The Canadiens have taken three of the four overall encounters between the Northeast Division foes this season and are 7-4-0 over their last 11 meetings with the Leafs.

 

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Philadelphia Flyers (37-28-5) at Atlanta Thrashers (30-29-11), 7 p.m.

Philadelphia Flyers (37-28-5) at Atlanta Thrashers (30-29-11), 7 p.m.

Philadelphia Flyers (37-28-5) at Atlanta Thrashers (30-29-11), 7 p.m.

Prior to 2009-10, a late-season matchup with the Flyers would have meant bad things for the Thrashers' playoff hopes. However, Atlanta is in position to record a third straight win over Philadelphia tonight and move to within one point of the Eastern Conference's final playoff position at Philips Arena.

The Thrashers were swept in all four of their meetings with the Flyers last year, pushing their series losing streak to an eye-popping 14 straight games since a 6-5 overtime win at Philadelphia back on Nov. 18, 2005.

Atlanta, though, recorded a 1-0 home win over Philly on Nov. 28 to snap that skid, as well as a nine-game series home losing streak, then made it two wins in a row over the Flyers with a 4-3 road triumph on Jan. 28.

A third straight win over the Flyers would be big for the Thrashers, who trail the eighth-place Bruins by three points in the Eastern Conference standings with 12 games to play. Boston is idle on Saturday.

Atlanta has won two straight since a six-game losing streak (0-5-1), downing Ottawa, 6-3, on Thursday. Nik Antropov's second goal of the game snapped a 3-3 tie in the third period and Colby Armstrong added two goals later in the frame to go along with an assist.

Jim Slater added a goal and an assist for the Thrashers and Johan Hedberg made 36 saves in helping Atlanta improve to 2-1-1 on a five-game homestand.

"Our lines have been playing pretty good the last couple of games," said Armstrong. "We made some good plays in their end and executed some nice goals. It was a good game for all of us."

That victory by Atlanta also helped out Philadelphia, as it defeated Dallas, 3-2, on Thursday to move into a tie with Ottawa for fifth overall in the East with a game in hand. The Flyers are also a point up on seventh-place Montreal and own an eight-point edge over the Thrashers.

On the same day the Flyers learned that starting netminder Michael Leighton will miss at least eight weeks due to a high left ankle sprain, Brian Boucher made 27 saves in his first start since Dec. 21. Philadelphia is already without Ray Emery, who opened the season as its No. 1 netminder but is currently on injured reserve due to a hip injury.

Boucher, who had made four relief outings between starts, earned his first win since Dec. 14.

Scott Hartnell scored the game-winner early in the third period on a deflection, Simon Gagne scored for the eighth time in nine games and Mike Richards added a goal for the Flyers, who improved to 1-1-1 on a four-game road trip and 9-3-2 over their last 14 games overall.

Philadelphia won its first game in Dallas since Dec. 6, 1996.

"We battled for 60 minutes," Hartnell said. "It says a lot on the road. I don't think we've won here [in Dallas] in 13 years. It was a big W for us to get that monkey off our back."

 

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St. Louis Blues (33-28-9) at New Jersey Devils (42-24-4), 7 p.m.

St. Louis Blues (33-28-9) at New Jersey Devils (42-24-4), 7 p.m.

St. Louis Blues (33-28-9) at New Jersey Devils (42-24-4), 7 p.m.

While the Devils hope a return home can help vault them into the Atlantic Division's top spot, the Blues are banking that another second-half surge can get them into the postseason.

New Jersey aims for a fifth straight victory at the Prudential Center this evening versus a St. Louis club that has won eight of its last 11 games to stay in the playoff hunt.

The Devils kick off a three-game homestand tonight and are 24-9-1 at The Rock this season. However, New Jersey lost for a fourth straight time on the road last time out, dropping a 2-1 shootout decision in Toronto on Thursday.

David Clarkson had a regulation goal and Yann Danis made 25 saves but was then beaten three times in the shootout portion, while the Devils managed to score just once in losing for the second time in six games.

"We just didn't play a full 60 minutes," Clarkson said. "That's a hard-working team over there. Every time we play them, they come out hard and we let two points get away from us."

However, New Jersey did secure a point to move one behind Pittsburgh for the top spot in the division. The Penguins host the Hurricanes today.

While The Devils are just about a lock for the postseason, the Blues enter this game six points back of the eighth spot in the Western Conference with 12 games to play.

St. Louis, though, is 8-3-0 over its last 11 games as it tries to mirror last year's finish. In 2008-09, the Blues went an NHL-best 25-9-7 in the second half to jump from 15th in the conference to sixth. They ended the season 9-1-1 over 11 games but were swept out of the first round by the Canucks.

The Blues snapped a two-game slide on Thursday when they knocked off the Rangers, 4-3. Paul Kariya snapped a three-all tie with his 400th career goal at 8:24 of the third period.

"I don't really pay too much attention to stats, and I never concern myself too much with them," said Kariya, who reached the milestone in his 978th career game. "Obviously it's a nice milestone, but the two points was more important in the game tonight. We needed the win."

St. Louis scored four times despite a season-low 16 shots. Brad Boyes, Erik Johnson and Mike Weaver all added goals, with Weaver lighting the lamp for the first time since March 23, 2007.

Ty Conklin made 26 stops in the victory, as the Blues won for the fifth time in seven road games while improving to 21-11-4 as the guest.

St. Louis, though, has struggled at New Jersey, where they had lost four straight before a 3-2 win at what was then known as the Continental Airlines Arena on Jan. 10, 2007.

The Blues, who have lost nine of their last 12 in the Garden State, then dropped a 4-3 test to the Devils at home last year for their sixth loss in the last seven games in the series.

 

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Washington Capitals (47-14-10) at Tampa Bay Lightning (28-30-12), 7:30 p.m.

Washington Capitals (47-14-10) at Tampa Bay Lightning (28-30-12), 7:30 p.m.

Washington Capitals (47-14-10) at Tampa Bay Lightning (28-30-12), 7:30 p.m.

Alex Ovechkin will return from suspension tonight when his Southeast Division champion Washington Capitals visit the Tampa Bay Lightning at St. Pete Times Forum.

Despite sitting out the last two games for shoving Chicago defenseman Brian Campbell into the boards on Sunday, Ovechkin is still leading the NHL with 96 points on the year. With 44 goals, he has fallen one tally behind Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby for the league lead.

It was the second suspension this season for the Russian superstar after he also missed two games in December for a knee-on-knee hit against Carolina's Tim Gleason.

The Capitals went 1-0-1 without Ovechkin in the lineup, pounding Florida, 7-3, on Tuesday before dropping an overtime decision Thursday at Carolina. Ray Whitney scored the game-winning goal with just under a minute left in OT to lift the Hurricanes to the 4-3 win at RBC Center.

Joe Corvo scored twice for the Capitals, who had a two-game winning streak snapped. Eric Fehr also lit the lamp for Washington, which got 25 saves from Semyon Varlamov.

Washington forward Brooks Laich added an assist to push his point streak to five games. He has four goals and three helpers during the run.

With the division title wrapped up, Washington is focused on clinching the top seed in the Eastern Conference. The Capitals lead the East with 104 points and are 15 ahead of second-seeded Pittsburgh.

Tonight marks the end of a four-game road trip for the Caps, who have a solid 21-10-6 record as the guest this year.

The Lightning enter tonight six points behind Boston for the eighth and final postseason berth in the East, but Tampa has not helped its playoff chances recently, dropping three straight and 10 of its last 12 outings.

Tampa Bay was dealt a lopsided loss its last time out, getting slammed 6-2 by the visiting Buffalo Sabres on Thursday. Jason Pominville picked up his second career hat trick to lead the way for the Sabres.

Steve Downie and Vincent Lecavalier scored for the Lightning, while Antero Niittymaki gave up five goals on 27 shots in the setback.

"We just looked very nervous. I thought we were ready to play, and we just looked nervous. That's on me," said Lightning head coach Rick Tocchet.

Tampa will try to salvage a win in the finale of a four-game homestand tonight. The Bolts are 18-11-6 overall as the host this year.

Tonight marks the final meeting of the regular season between Tampa and the Caps. Washington has won three of five matchups so far and has taken 14 of the last 16 encounters overall. The Capitals have nine victories in their last 14 trips to the Forum.

Washington is 16-3-1 against the Southeast as a whole this season.

 

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Columbus Blue Jackets (29-31-11) at Nashville Predators (40-26-5), 8 p.m.

Columbus Blue Jackets (29-31-11) at Nashville Predators (40-26-5), 8 p.m.

Columbus Blue Jackets (29-31-11) at Nashville Predators (40-26-5), 8 p.m.

- The Nashville Predators will aim for a fifth consecutive victory tonight when they welcome the Columbus Blue Jackets for a Central Division clash at Bridgestone Arena.

Nashville's recent surge has helped the club solidify its playoff chances. With 85 points, the Predators are tied with Los Angeles for the sixth seed in the Western Conference. Nashville is also four points ahead of Calgary and Detroit, who are currently tied for the West's eighth and final postseason berth.

The Predators turned in a dominating victory Thursday against visiting Minnesota. Pekka Rinne stopped all 17 shots he faced for his fifth shutout of the season, anchoring the Nashville to the 5-0 victory over the Wild.

Jason Arnott, Colin Wilson and Patric Hornqvist all recorded a goal and assist each for the Predators, who are aiming for their first five-game winning streak since rattling off a season-high seven straight wins from Nov. 12-25.

Nashville outshot the Wild by a 37-17 margin and claimed a 3-0 lead by the end of the first period.

"In the first period both teams had chances, but we got those goals, and I think it kind of took the wind out of them," Rinne said. "We didn't let up after that and kept pushing the game."

Tonight marks the end of a three-game homestand for the Preds, who are 20-12-2 as the host this year.

Nashville has taken four of five from the Jackets this year and will try to close out the season series with another victory tonight.

The Predators have claimed wins in six of eight and seven of the last 10 overall encounters and Columbus has lost 13 straight and 16 out of 17 in the Music City. The 13-game home winning streak gives Nashville the NHL's longest active home winning streak against a single opponent.

Despite being last in the Central Division and 14th in the West, the Blue Jackets have won two straight and four of their last five games.

Columbus posted a home victory Friday against Minnesota as captain Rick Nash shined in his return to the lineup, scoring twice in the third period to lift the Blue Jackets to the 4-2 win at Nationwide Arena.

Nash, who had missed four games with a lower-body injury and the flu, tallied on a breakaway 27 seconds after defenseman Kris Russell tied the game at two.

"I thought Rick Nash made a statement to the team that he is a tremendous leader and I think he showed that tonight," said Columbus interim head coach Claude Noel. "He was a man among boys. He was outstanding for us and he took charge of the game."

Kristian Huselius registered a goal and an assist for Columbus, while Mathieu Garon stopped 18 shots in the win.

Columbus has struggled to an 11-20-4 record as the road team this season and has seven losses in its last 10 games away from the Buckeye State.

 

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Chicago Blackhawks (45-19-6) at Phoenix Coyotes (44-22-5), 9 p.m.

Chicago Blackhawks (45-19-6) at Phoenix Coyotes (44-22-5), 9 p.m.

Chicago Blackhawks (45-19-6) at Phoenix Coyotes (44-22-5), 9 p.m.

Having already set a record for the most wins in the franchise's history, the Phoenix Coyotes will face a big test tonight when they host the Chicago Blackhawks at Jobing.com Arena.

The Coyotes posted a comeback win Thursday in Florida, edging the Panthers for their 44th win of the season and seventh victory in a row. Phoenix eclipsed the previous club record for wins set by the 1984-85 Winnipeg Jets, who went 43-27-10.

Phoenix's current winning streak is also the longest for the club since another seven-game stretch from Dec. 28, 2006-Jan. 9, 2007. The Coyotes' last eight-game winning streak was from Nov. 16-Dec. 2, 1999.

The Coyotes, who last made the playoffs in the spring of 2002, come into tonight with 93 points and are fourth in the Western Conference standings. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks are tied for the conference lead with San Jose, which is leading the Pacific Division by three points over Phoenix.

Phoenix has won both of its meetings against the Blackhawks this year, but Chicago still has eight victories in the last 11 encounters between the clubs. The Blackhawks have also won four of their last six trips to the desert.

The teams will complete the season series Tuesday in Chicago.

The Coyotes are coming off a thrilling victory, downing Florida on Thursday to complete a perfect four-game road trip. Radim Vrbata scored the game-winning goal in the third round of the shootout, finishing off the 4-3 comeback victory. Phoenix trailed 3-0 heading into the third period before rallying past the Panthers at BankAtlantic Center.

Vrbata also scored in regulation for Phoenix and Martin Hanzal and Lee Stempniak also lit the lamp in the win. Ilya Bryzgalov made 21 saves to push his club record for wins in a season to 38.

"That's what good teams do. They find ways to win and no matter what they keep believing," Stempniak said.

The Coyotes have a strong 25-10-2 record as the host this year. Phoenix is home for just one test and will kick off a three-game road trip Sunday in Dallas.

Phoenix could also get forward Robert Lang back tonight after he missed the last six games with a lower-body injury. Lang, who has 29 points on the year, is questionable for tonight.

Meanwhile, the Blackhawks are ending a three-game road trip tonight. Chicago, which is 19-12-3 as the guest this year, avoided a fourth straight loss with Thursday's shutout victory in Los Angeles.

Tomas Kopecky scored a pair of third period goals and Antti Niemi needed to make just 17 saves to lead Chicago to the 3-0 win over the Kings. Niemi or Corey Crawford could get the start tonight with Cristobal Huet suffering from flu-like symptoms.

Troy Brouwer added his 20th goal of the season for Central Division-leading Chicago, which holds an 11-point lead over second-place Nashville.

"I thought we checked well and I thought everybody was contributing to what we wanted to do tonight," said Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville.

Blackhawks defenseman Kim Johnsson is questionable for tonight with an upper- body injury, while fellow blueliner Brent Seabrook has yet to recover from a hit by Anaheim's James Wisniewski on Wednesday. Seabrook will miss a second straight game tonight after suffering a head injury during a play that wound up earning Wisniewski an eight-game suspension.

Wisniewski, a former Blackhawk, took a run at Seabrook early in the second after the Chicago defender had hit Anaheim's Corey Perry up high earlier in the shift. Seabrook had his head slammed into the boards by a darting Wisniewski, who was given two minutes for charging and was immediately challenged to a fight by Chicago's Duncan Keith.

 

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Detroit Red Wings (34-23-13) at Vancouver Canucks (44-24-3), 10 p.m.

Detroit Red Wings (34-23-13) at Vancouver Canucks (44-24-3), 10 p.m.

Detroit Red Wings (34-23-13) at Vancouver Canucks (44-24-3), 10 p.m.

- The first-place Vancouver Canucks will try to close out a five-game homestand on a positive note when they welcome the Detroit Red Wings for tonight's battle at General Motors Place.

The Canucks have posted a 3-1-0 record on this homestand, which directly followed an NHL-record 14-game road trip that bridged the league's break for the Vancouver Olympics.

Overall, Vancouver has a 17-6-1 record in its last 24 games and is currently leading the Northwest Division by five points over Colorado. The Canucks are also five points behind San Jose and Chicago for the top seed in the Western Conference.

Meanwhile, Detroit is locked in a battle with Calgary for the final playoff spot in the West. The Red Wings enter Saturday tied with the idle Flames for the conference's eighth seed.

The Canucks are coming off Thursday's close victory over the Sharks. Ryan Kesler and Alexander Edler each had a goal and an assist, as Vancouver jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period and held on to beat San Jose, 3-2, at GM Place. On Friday, Kesler was a awarded with a six-year contract extension, giving the forward a home in Vancouver through the 2015-16 season.

Ryan Johnson also scored for the Canucks, while Roberto Luongo made 32 saves for the victors. Vancouver went 2-for-3 on the power play.

"We've had some good starts at home, so that was the difference tonight," Luongo said. "We came out, we had a good first period and scored some goals on the power play."

Vancouver has been terrific on home ice all year, posting a 26-8-1 record as the host.

The Red Wings had a three-game winning streak halted Friday in Edmonton, but they salvaged a point in the shootout loss to keep pace with Calgary.

Shortly after the Flames finished off San Jose in regulation on Friday night, Gilbert Brule netted the deciding goal in the shootout to lead the Oilers past Detroit, 3-2, at Rexall Place.

The Oilers were less than a second away from a regulation win, but Detroit defenseman Brian Rafalski scored with just two-tenths of a second left to send the game to overtime.

Patrick Eaves had the other goal for the Red Wings, while Jimmy Howard stopped 22 shots in the loss.

Tonight marks the end of a three-game road trip for Detroit, which has struggled to a 15-13-8 mark as the guest this year.

The Red Wings will begin a three-game homestand with Monday's test against Pittsburgh. That game will mark the Penguins first trip back to Detroit since beating the Wings in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals on June 12.

Detroit has taken two of three from the Canucks this year, but Vancouver posted a 6-3 road victory when the clubs last met in the Motor City on March 3. The Red Wings have won seven of 11 overall in this series and have taken five of their last eight in B.C.

 

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New York Islanders (29-32-10) at Los Angeles Kings (40-24-5), 10:30 p.m.

New York Islanders (29-32-10) at Los Angeles Kings (40-24-5), 10:30 p.m.

New York Islanders (29-32-10) at Los Angeles Kings (40-24-5), 10:30 p.m.

- The Los Angeles Kings will try to avoid their longest losing streak in over two months when they host the New York Islanders tonight at Staples Center.

The Kings, who are tied for sixth in the Western Conference, have dropped their last two games, losing the first two tests of a four-game homestand. Los Angeles hasn't suffered three straight defeats since Jan. 7-11.

LA was dealt its most recent setback by Chicago on Thursday. Tomas Kopecky scored a pair of third period goals and Antti Niemi stopped 17 shots to record the shutout in the 3-0 win.

Jonathan Quick made 34 saves on 37 shots for the Kings, who have dropped five of their last seven games. It was also the first time LA had been shut out since losing 7-0 in Atlanta on Nov. 13.

"We have to learn from our mistakes, and carry forth. We just have to hit the reset button," said Kings forward Ryan Smyth.

The Kings are trying to make the playoffs for the first time since the spring of 2002. LA is currently tied with Nashville in the conference standings and is four points ahead of Detroit and Calgary for the eighth seed.

Los Angeles is 19-12-3 as the host this year and has lost three of its last five home tilts. The Kings will complete this residency on Monday when they began a home-and-home series against Colorado.

The Islanders had a three-game winning streak snapped their last time out, but earned a point in Friday's overtime loss in Anaheim. Saku Koivu scored 14 seconds into OT to lead the Ducks to the wild 5-4 victory at Honda Center.

Kyle Okposo had two goals and John Tavares and Richard Park each had a goal and an assist for the Islanders, who are six points back of the Boston Bruins for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Martin Biron made 34 stops in the loss.

"That is a big point for us," said Okposo. "We came out here hoping to get six points and we have a chance for five now. If you would have told us that, we would have taken it."

New York is making the third stop on a four-game road trip tonight and will complete the swing back on the East Coast when it faces the Rangers on Wednesday. The Islanders are just 10-19-7 as the guest this season.

The Isles posted a 2-1 regulation win over a visiting Kings team back on October 12, giving New York its first victory in the series since a road triumph on Feb. 15, 2003. Los Angeles is 4-0 with a tie since the last Islanders' win in this series.