The set-up: The 29-22-10 NY Islanders are back on the ice for the first time since last Saturday, a 7-0 loss at Columbus. They will be in Dallas tonight to take on the 25-28-10 Stars. Dallas has won three of its last four games, including Tuesday's 3-2 triumph versus Pittsburgh, which opened a five-game homestand.

NY Islanders: The Doug Weight era began with the Islanders 3-0 victory over the Dallas Stars back on Jan. 19, which ignited a 12-4-2 run before but then came that disastrous 7-0 shellacking by Columbus. However, with five days off to lick their wounds, the Islanders should be primed to continue their quest of getting into playoff position, as they currently reside jutstone point behind Toronto for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Dallas: The Stars face a much tougher climb up the playoff 'ladder,' as they sit seven points behind St. Louis for the second wild-card playoff spot in the Western Conference. Dallas has shuffled its roster, trading forward Patrick Eaves (Anaheim) plus defensemen Jordie Benn (Montreal) and Johnny Oduya (Chicago) in a five-day stretch prior to sending forward Lauri Korpikoski to Columbus on Wednesday,. However, veteran forward Ales Hemsky, who has missed the entire season following hip surgery, has been cleared to play.

The pick: The Islanders are currently 2-1-0 through the first three games of their nine-game road trip but are just 9-14-4 on the road on the season. Meanwhile, Dallas is 18-10-6 in its building on the season. Then again, the Islanders are 11-2-3 against Western Conference opponents this year. It was 3-0 in the first meeting and I'll take that final again (who cares which team wins?). The Under is a 10* play with this high total.