Starting a three-game trip through the New York metropolitan area on the heels of a 2-2-1 homestand, the Dallas Stars (20-13-7) are in Nassau County tonight to take on the New York Islanders. Game time is 6 p.m. CST. The match will be televised locally on Fox Sports Southwest.

This is the first of two meetings between the inter-Conference teams this season and the lone game in Long Island. The clubs will rematch this coming Sunday at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

Tonight's game marks the statistical start of the second half for the Stars. The team is coming off a 5-1 blowout loss at the hand of the Detroit Red Wings in the final game of the Stars' five-game homestand.

In the loss to Detroit, Dallas generated 45 shots on the game (to 27 for the Red Wings). However, for the second straight game after a string of seven straight games of allowing two or fewer regulation goals, the Stars were prone to both puck management and coverage breakdowns that ended up in yielding three goals in the opening period and never being able to climb back into what turned into a four-goal loss. At the offensive end, the scoring chances were there in abundance but not the finish.

Dallas has recently been playing with half of it starting blueline missing. The team should get Sergei Gonchar (concussion) back in the lineup tonight after a six-game absence. Trevor Daley (high ankle sprain) is questionable for tonight -- officially a game-time decision -- and is likely to return at some point this week if not tonight. Stephane Robidas (fractured right tibia) is likely out for the rest of the season.

The Islanders have struggled much of the season but had been playing better hockey late until a 3-2 loss in regulation to the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday snapped a three-game winning streak.

The Islanders (14-22-7) had a three-game winning streak snapped with a 3-2 loss to Carolina on Saturday. The Hurricanes scored two goals in a 57-second span of the second period to take a 3-1 lead in the game.

On the Islanders' injury front, defensemen Lubomir Visnovsky (concussion) and Radek Martinek (back) are out. Forward Josh Bailey (shoulder) is questionable for tonight.

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