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Islanders look to continue winning ways

Feb 21, 2008 - 1:27 PM Tampa Bay (25-28-7) at NY Islanders (29-25-7) 7:00 pm EST

UNIONDALE, New York (Ticker) - The New York Islanders go for their sixth straight win on Thursday when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning.

New York, which had gone 0-6-1 prior to this recent run, is coming off a 3-2 shootout victory over Washington on Wednesday, when they rallied from a two-goal deficit.

Riding their longest winning streak of the season, the Islanders are suddenly a legitimate player in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

With 65 points, the Islanders are currently in 10th place in the Eastern Conference and one point back of Boston (30-23-6), Philadelphia (30-24-6) and Buffalo (29-23-8) - a trio of teams in a three-way tie for the seventh place.

"I think the biggest thing we've done is change our work ethic," said Mike Comrie, who scored the shootout winner on Wednesday. "We got away from our system, and I think our coaching staff stressed that we're not going to win by outskating a lot of teams.

"We're going to have to work hard, and it might not be pretty. We don't want to make a habit of coming back, but it shows a lot of character."

Tampa Bay has lost two straight contests, including a disappointing 4-3 overtime setback to Buffalo on Wednesday. The Lightning led by two goals with under three minutes to play before squandering the lead.

Lightning coach John Tortorella reportedly went on a tirade in the locker room after the game, capping the outburst by telling players, "You better get it figured out, because I'm not going to be around it."

Tampa Bay leading scorer Vincent Lecavalier had an assist in Wednesday's loss and now has registered a point in seven straight games.

The Islanders have won both contests this season after losing all four meetings with Tampa Bay last season.