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Maple Leafs, Islanders cling to slim playoff chances

Mar 18, 2008 - 12:09 PM Toronto (32-31-10) at NY Islanders (32-34-7) 7:00 pm EDT

UNIONDALE, New York (Ticker) - The Toronto Maple Leafs will be shorthanded heading into Tuesday's game against the New York Islanders.

Captain Mats Sundin (groin) and Nik Antropov (knee) have already been ruled out of the contest.

The Maple Leafs trail the eighth-place Philadelphia Flyers (35-29-10) by six points for the final berth in the Eastern Conference. The Islanders are nine points behind the Flyers and longshot to reach the playoffs at this point.

Toronto has been playing better of late, posting a 6-3-1 record in its last 10 games. Tuesday's contest kicks off a three-game road trip for the Maple Leafs, who are coming off a 6-2 home loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday.

"We're probably going to have to run the table and get some help," defenseman Ian White said.

The Islanders have been playing like a team that can't wait for the season to end. New York is 2-8-0 in its last 10 games and has lost five consecutive contests by a combined score of 23-8. The current skid is one short of the Islanders' season high for futility.

Rookie Kyle Okposo, New York's first-round pick in 2006, is expected to make his NHL debut.