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(Sports Network) - Both the Islanders and Ducks seem to have turned things around since costly losing streaks, but what remains to be seen is if the clubs are out of time.
Anaheim, minus one of its key defenseman, seeks a third straight win and New York tries for its fourth consecutive victory tonight when the two teams clash at Honda Center.
The Ducks have won back-to-back games since a five-game slide, and currently find themselves eight points back of the eighth-place Red Wings in the Western Conference with 13 games to play. The Islanders, meanwhile, have countered a four-game skid with three straight wins and are seven points back of the eighth spot in the East.
Anaheim is 2-2-1 on a seven-game homestand, but has picked up consecutive wins over San Jose and Chicago, the two clubs tied for the top spot in the West. The Ducks hosted the Blackhawks on Wednesday and notched a 4-2 win.
On his 23rd birthday, Bobby Ryan scored twice to match the career-high 31 goals he had a season ago, while Todd Marchant and Saku Koivu also scored. Corey Perry notched two assists and Jonas Hiller made 39 saves for the Ducks, who are 21-11-3 at home this year and haven't won three straight since Jan. 29-Feb. 3.
The Ducks, though, will be without defenseman James Wisniewski because of a high hit on the Blackhawks' Brent Seabrook that drew him an eight-game suspension. Wisniewski, a former Blackhawk, took a run at Seabrook early in the second after the Chicago defender had hit Perry up high earlier in the shift. Seabrook had his head slammed into the boards by a darting Wisniewski, who was given two minutes for charging and was immediately challenged to a fight by Chicago's Duncan Keith.
It marks the second suspension of the season for Wisniewski, who was also penalized two games in October for a hit to the head on Phoenix's Shane Doan.
Wisniewski's eight-game ban comes after Pittsburgh's Matt Cooke escaped a suspension for hitting Boston's Marc Savard in the head with his shoulder on March 8 that left Savard with a concussion. Washington's Alex Ovechkin received a two-game suspension after sending Chicago's Brian Campbell into the boards last Sunday, a hit that left Campbell with a broken collarbone and fractured rib.
However, NHL senior executive vice president of hockey operations Colin Campbell called the play a "retaliatory hit to the head of an opponent who never had possession of the puck," and added Wisniewski's repeat offense also factored into the ban.
"He's a 20-some minute guy. Obviously, it's an awful blow to the hockey team," said Ducks general manager Bob Murray.
The Ducks won despite Ryan Getzlaf sitting out after he aggravated an ankle injury on Sunday versus San Jose. However, Teemu Selanne, who is one goal shy of 600 for his career, did play despite suffering a shoulder injury in the same game.
Anaheim will look for a victory tonight versus the Islanders and John Tavares, who broke out of a scoring slump in a big way in Tuesday's 5-2 victory over Vancouver.
The rookie factored in each New York goal, as he had a career-high five points on two goals and three assists. The top pick of the 2009 draft, who had never before posted more than two points in a game, came into the contest with a mere three goals and nine points in 37 games after notching 15 goals and 27 points in his first 32 NHL games.
"I proved myself earlier in the year offensively," Tavares said. "But overall my game has come a long way. I feel I've been playing well the last couple of weeks and making a big difference."
Matt Moulson added a goal and an assist for the Islanders, who have won three straight for the first time since a four-game run from Jan. 9-18. Dwayne Roloson made 35 saves, while Dylan Reese and Freddy Meyer also scored for the victors.
The Islanders won the opener of a four-game road trip and snapped an eight- game slide as the guest. It was the club's first road victory since Jan. 9 and improved them to 10-19-6 as the guest this year.
New York notched a 2-1 home win over Anaheim last year and has five wins and a tie in the last seven meetings. The Isles have posted two wins and a tie in their last three trips out west to face the Ducks.

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