Two teams outside of the playoff picture looking in will try to inch a few points closer to the eighth seed on Saturday.
The visiting Thrashers have dropped six in a row and 11 of their last 15. They will be in a back-to-back situation and have compiled a 4-2 record in that scenario this season.
New York has been brutal in the month of December (4-8-3), but it looks as if the team has finally decided on a No. 1 goaltender.
Dwayne Roloson is 14-7-5 this season and holds a 2.75 goals-against average. In the Islanders 2-1 shootout win over Columbus on Tuesday, Roloson stopped 41 shots in 65 minutes of play.
"We're finally getting everything we need to do at home," Roloson said after the game. "For us the simpler we keep our game, the better we are."
Isles captain Doug Weight returned to the lineup on Thursday after being out since Nov. 6 with a shoulder injury. The veteran played almost 16 minutes and went 2-4 on face-offs with one shot on goal.
"We're fighting to stay alive right now. I'll bring whatever experience I have on the ice and the bench," Weight said.
New York has taken the last three games in this series while the over has cashed in six of the last nine.
Pick: Islanders
Detroit Red Wings at Phoenix Coyotes (-140, 5)
Much like the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Stanley Cup runners-up are simply fighting to get into the postseason right now.
The Red Wings have been decimated by injuries this season with integral players on the team like Henrik Zetterberg, Johan Franzen and Jonathan Ericsson missing time.
"We've got to continue to battle and get points and move up in the standings," said captain Nicklas Lidstrom. "That's the way we're looking at it. We have a lot of guys out and we can't feel sorry for ourselves."
Detroit is three points removed from the last two playoff spots, occupied by Vancouver and Los Angeles who have 49 points. The Wings have been shutout in their last two road games and have dropped three straight away from home.
Meanwhile, Phoenix has played in three straight shootouts and is 6-2-2 in their last 10 outings. The Coyotes had a 10-game home win streak snapped by San Jose on Thursday. Head coach Dave Tippett was not happy with his team’s performance against the Sharks after going 0-for-6 on power-play opportunities.
"We were fortunate to get out of the game with a point," Tippett said. "We had a good burst of energy early, had shots but not a lot of quality. Then they started competing at a level where we didn't get to."
These two teams have split games this season, but Detroit has won eight of the last 10 meetings in the series.
Sorry guys, I just saw this is already in the forum, I won't make that mistake again. Yupper already posted it, sorry about that Yupper, and thanks for posting the plays that you have posted.
Ice picks 1/02
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