Ottawa Senators haven't had trouble scoring, or winning, this season.
The New York Islanders, on the other hand, have had plenty of problems finding the net, but they might be starting to find a solution.
Those resurgent Islanders look for their fourth straight win when they visit the Eastern Conference-leading Senators on Thursday at Scotiabank Place.
New York (18-15-2) had gone 22 games without scoring more than three goals prior to a 4-2 win at Pittsburgh last Friday. They then beat Washington 3-2 on Saturday and recorded a 4-3 overtime win against Toronto on Wednesday.
They'll likely have to continue scoring in bunches to have a chance against the Senators, who have a conference-best 124 goals, 42 more than the Islanders.
Ottawa (24-8-4) had been in a minor offensive slump, but scored more than three goals for the first time in four games Wednesday night in a 5-3 victory at Buffalo.
Dany Heatley had a goal and two assists for his 16th multi-point game of the season as the Senators improved to 8-1-1 in their last 10 games.
Heatley took the team lead with 48 points, and that's no small feat on a club that boasts three 40-point players — a league best. Daniel Alfredsson has 47 points while Jason Spezza, the league leader with 34 assists, has 46.
In net, Martin Gerber improved his record to 17-5-1 despite taking an early slapshot to the mask.
"It shook whatever's left of my brain cells," said Gerber, who stopped 29 of 32 shots.
Gerber is 3-2-0 with a 2.05 goals-against average in five career starts against the Islanders, including two wins since he joined the Senators last season.
Regardless of who has been between the pipes, Ottawa has dominated New York recently, winning eight of the last nine games between the clubs with the lone loss coming 3-2 in a shootout Nov. 28 on Long Island, a game that saw Mike Sillinger score the game-winner for the Isles.
The Islanders are also just 5-17-0 with five ties in Ottawa since the Sens began play in 1993, and haven't won there since March 15, 2003.
DiPietro will not play
While they've broken out of their offensive doldrums lately, Rick DiPietro's goaltending had been keeping the Isles competitive. DiPietro, however, left Wednesday's victory over the Maple Leafs in the first period with a knee injury and will not travel with the team Thursday.
Backup Wade Dubielewicz got the job done against Toronto, saving 22 of the 23 shots he faced, and he'll get the call against the Senators. He has lost his only previous start against Ottawa.
"I keep an eye on Ricky every day just in case something happens," Dubielewicz said after picking up his second win in five appearances.
"I kind of knew that I might be in. Sometimes you don't want to know in advance that you might play, because it gives you time to think, and you can think too much."
Related
Internal Links
More Hockey Headlines »
- Spezza, Heatley join Alfredsson at all-star game
- The NHL revealed the full roster for the Eastern Conference all-star team Friday, with the Ottawa Senators' Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley joining teammate Daniel Alfredsson for the marquee game on Jan. 27 in Atlanta (CBC, 6 p.m. ET).
- Dominant Canucks welcome Coyotes
- The Vancouver Canucks will try to register a point in their 15th consecutive home game as they welcome the Phoenix Coyotes at GM Place Friday night (7 p.m., PT).
- Iginla, Flames hope to rebound against Islanders
- The Calgary Flames will seek to start another winning streak as they face the New York Islanders at the Pengrowth Saddledome Friday night (7 p.m., ET).
- Blues lose Mike Johnson for season
- St. Louis Blues veteran forward Mike Johnson will undergo season-ending surgery on his left shoulder next week, the team said Friday.
- Leafs recall Pogge, claim Moore off waivers
- The Toronto Maple Leafs called up goalie Justin Pogge from their American Hockey League affiliate and claimed forward Dominic Moore off waivers, general manager John Ferguson announced Friday.
More Sports Headlines »
- Spezza, Heatley join Alfredsson at all-star game
- The NHL revealed the full roster for the Eastern Conference all-star team Friday, with the Ottawa Senators' Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley joining teammate Daniel Alfredsson for the marquee game on Jan. 27 in Atlanta (CBC, 6 p.m. ET).
- Former Olympian Marion Jones gets 6-month jail sentence
- Former U.S. Olympian Marion Jones was sentenced Friday to six months in prison for lying about using steroids and a cheque-fraud scam.
- Canadian O'Brian White wins NCAA MVP
- O'Brian White of Scarborough, Ont., received the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy as the most valuable player in U.S. collegiate soccer on Friday in St. Louis.
- Dominant Canucks welcome Coyotes
- The Vancouver Canucks will try to register a point in their 15th consecutive home game as they welcome the Phoenix Coyotes at GM Place Friday night (7 p.m., PT).
- Blues lose Mike Johnson for season
- St. Louis Blues veteran forward Mike Johnson will undergo season-ending surgery on his left shoulder next week, the team said Friday.
Sports Features
- NBARaptors Basketball
- Sun, Jan. 13 at 12:30 pm ET: Portland at Toronto
Blog Watch
Most Blogged about CBC.ca Articles
Note: CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external sites - link will open in new window
