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Lightning vs. Islanders: 3 things you need to know

Anthony Gruppuso / Reuters

The New York Islanders host the Tampa Bay Lightning to wrap up their season series after the teams traded 5-2 home victories in November. The Islanders are riding a three-game winning streak, while Tampa Bay is 1-2-1 in its last four as it wraps up a five-game road trip.

Here are three things you need to know about Saturday's contest:

There will be goals

The Islanders and Lightning are two of three Eastern Conference teams with more than 100 goals for. They've already combined for 14 goals over their first two meetings, and the rubber match promises more high-octane offense with New York and Tampa Bay both challenging for the lead in their respective divisions.

Islanders forward Brock Nelson has enjoyed facing the Lightning, with two goals and an assist in the previous two games as part of his breakout campaign. Nikita Kucherov is on a five-game point streak (four goals, three assists) for Tampa Bay, which leads the league with 112 goals for. And who could forget former first-overall picks (and respective captains) John Tavares and Steven Stamkos?

Bet the over.

No Bishop in Lightning net

Netminder Ben Bishop is unlikely to start for the Lightning on the weekend, leaving the team with a choice between veteran Evgeni Nabokov and rookie Andrei Vasilevskiy. Vasilevskiy looked solid in his NHL debut, making 23 saves on 24 shots Tuesday, while Nabokov has allowed five goals on 39 shots over his last two appearances.

Bishop's injury isn't expected to keep him out for long, but the Lightning play with noticeably more confidence when he is in the net. While Vasilevskiy's first start showed promise, there's little indication he'll be able to repeat that performance against the Islanders' scoring depth.

The Islanders are likely to start Jaroslav Halak, who has 14 victories in his last 16 appearances but played Friday. It's a different story if they elect to go with backup Chad Johnson, who is 5-4-0 with a hideous 3.59 goals-against average and .868 save percentage.

Home-ice advantage

Not only has the home team won both games in the season series, but the Islanders - 12-3-0 in their final season at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum - are 5-0-1 at home against Tampa Bay since losing in regulation on Nov. 17, 2010.

The Lightning own a pedestrian 8-6-3 road record, due in part to their special teams: Tampa Bay's power play and penalty kill become significantly worse in away contests, converting on half as many man-advantage opportunities and allowing 15 goals on 63 times short-handed.

A victory for the Lightning would be a massive achievement, considering they're ending a road trip against one of the Metropolitan Division's top teams without the help of their starting netminder.

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