Arena: St. Pete Times Forum
Time: Thursday, Feb 04, 2010 at 7:30 PM ET
League: NHL – United States of America

Last 10 matches: New York 4-6-0; TampaBay 5-4-1
John Tavares, the No. pick in the Entry Draft last June, has struggled over the last six weeks a big reason the Isles have had trouble scoring. After firing home 15 goals in his first 31 games, he has just two since scoring a pair in back-to-back games on Dec. 8-9. However, he’s still second on the team with 17 goals.With only one goal in their last two games, the Islanders are looking for someone to get hot. … For the Lightning, Steven Stamkos is 4-6-10 during a seven-game points streak, Vincent Lecavalier has 4 goals and 9 assists in 11 games, and Martin St. Louis has goals in four consecutive games while amassing 10 goals and 8 assists in 17 games. Defenseman Kurtis Foster has a goal and 9 assists in 12 games and has cracked a few glass panes in recent weeks with his hard shot.
The teams are meeting for the third time this season; they’ll reconvene at the Nassau Coliseum in 10 days. TampaBay has won the first two games, 4-0 at home on Dec. 5 and 4-2 on Long Island on Dec. 21.
Islanders forward Josh Bailey was sent home with an upper-body injury and won’t be back until after the Olympic break. Forward Tim Jackman (broken orbital bone) is still out. Defenseman Brendan Witt, who’s been out with a leg injury, has been placed on waivers. If he clears, he’s expected to be sent to AHL Bridgeport. … TampaBay is as healthy as a team can get four months into the season. Highlights and results will be available soon.. stay tuned.