Lightning and Islanders Prepare for Tuesday Night Clash

The Tampa Bay Lightning are set to face off against the New York Islanders tonight at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, at 7:00 PM ET. The Lightning, currently leading the Atlantic Division with a 16-7-2 record, are riding a seven-game winning streak and look to continue their dominance. Meanwhile, the Islanders, sitting at 13-10-3, are aiming to break a three-game losing streak and improve their position in the Metropolitan Division.

Projected Lineups

Here's a look at the projected lineups for both teams:

Tampa Bay Lightning:

• Forwards:
  • Brandon Hagel — Anthony Cirelli — Nikita Kucherov
  • Jake Guentzel — Nick Paul — Gage Goncalves
  • Zemgus Girgensons — Yanni Gourde — Pontus Holmberg
  • Dominic James — Curtis Douglas — Oliver Bjorkstrand
• Defense:
  • J.J. Moser — Darren Raddysh
  • Charle-Edouard D'Astous — Emil Lilleberg
  • Declan Carlile — Steven Santini
• Goalies:
  • Andrei Vasilevskiy
  • Jonas Johansson

New York Islanders:

• Forwards:
  • Anders Lee — Mathew Barzal — Jonathan Drouin
  • Emil Heineman — Bo Horvat — Maxim Shabanov
  • Simon Holmstrom — Calum Ritchie — Anthony Duclair
  • Kyle MacLean — Casey Cizikas — Maxim Tsyplakov
• Defense:
  • Matthew Schaefer — Ryan Pulock
  • Adam Pelech — Adam Boqvist
  • Travis Mitchell — Scott Mayfield
• Goalies:
  • Ilya Sorokin
  • David Rittich

Injury Updates

Several key players are currently sidelined for both teams:

• Tampa Bay Lightning: Brayden Point is out with an undisclosed injury, with no timetable for his return. Erik Cernak, Victor Hedman, and Ryan McDonagh are on injured reserve. Darren Raddysh's status is a game-time decision due to personal reasons.
• New York Islanders: Kyle Palmieri is on injured reserve with a torn ACL. Jean-Gabriel Pageau is expected to miss two to three weeks with an upper-body injury. Alexander Romanov, Semyon Varlamov, Ethan Bear and Pierre Engvall are also on injured reserve. Tony DeAngelo is sick and is a game-time decision.

Key Players to Watch

• Tampa Bay Lightning: Nikita Kucherov leads the Lightning's offense with 32 points in 23 games. Brandon Hagel has been on a tear, scoring in each of the last five games. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has been stellar, posting an 11-5-2 record with a 2.32 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage.
• New York Islanders: Bo Horvat leads the Islanders with 15 goals and 11 assists. Rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer has also been a key contributor with 8 goals and 11 assists. Ilya Sorokin is expected to start in goal.

Storylines to Watch

The Lightning are currently one of the hottest teams in the NHL, while the Islanders have struggled recently, scoring only five goals in their last three games. Tampa Bay's defense has been particularly strong, allowing only 10 goals in the last seven games. The Islanders will need to find a way to generate more offense if they hope to compete with the Lightning's high-powered attack.

Betting Odds and Trends

The Lightning are favored to win the game, with money line odds around -142. The over/under is set at 5.5 goals. The Lightning have been strong against the spread, going 7-3 in their last 10 games. The Islanders have struggled at home, going 0-5 against the spread in their last five home games.