Game Day 52: vs Islanders

SAINT JOHN - After playing eight straight games against Quebec based teams, the Saint John Sea Dogs begin a stretch of 10 consecutive matches against Maritime clubs.

The stretch begins this evening when the Charlottetown Islanders come to town. Game time is 7 p.m. at Harbour Station.

Tonight's match will be the first of three meetings between the Sea Dogs and Islanders this month.

TV/Radio/Webcast: Rogers TV/Sea Dogs Radio/QMJHL Live

Records: The Sea Dogs are 11-36-2-2 for 26 points (fifth Maritimes, ninth Eastern, 17th QMJHL) while the Islanders are 29-17-3-2 for 63 points (third Maritimes, fifth Eastern, seventh QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 5-1 loss in Boisbriand last Saturday. Brady Burns scored Saint John's lone goal. Mikhail Denisov made 32 stops in the loss. The Islanders are coming off a 2-0 home loss to the Drummondville Voltigeurs last night. Matthew Welsh made 32 saves in the loss.

2018-19 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 1-4-0-1 against the Islanders this season while Charlottetown is 5-1-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: New Year's Eve at Harbour Station where the Islanders defeated the Sea Dogs 4-1. Nikita Alexandrov scored twice for Charlottetown while singles came from Thomas Casey and William Sirman. Filip Prikryl scored Saint John's only goal. Matthew Welsh made 26 saves in the win. Alex D'Orio made 32 saves in the loss.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Islanders: Forwards Daniel Hardie and Kevin Gursoy.

Islander to watch: Daniel Hardie leads Charlottetown in scoring and has more points against Saint John than any other team this season (four goals and six assists).

Random stat: Charlottetown's Matthew Welsh has played the second most minutes of any goaltender in the league this season.

Notes: Maxim Cajkovic and Robbie Burt are tied for the Sea Dogs lead in points (34), goals (15) and assists (19)... Daniel Hardie leads Saint John in points (60), goals (31) and assists (29)... Saint John has lost eight straight games overall... the Sea Dogs are 7-17-2-0 at home... the Islanders are 12-11-1-0 on the road... Cajkovic's 15 goals place him fourth amongst rookies... Saint John has the worst power play in the league with a rating of 13.6%... the Islanders have lost three straight games overall.

Out of town:
Québec at Shawinigan - 3:00 PM EST
Drummondville at Acadie-Bathurst - 7:00 PM AST
Halifax at Cape Breton - 7:00 PM AST
Baie-Comeau at Blainville-Boisbriand - 7:00 PM EST
Rouyn-Noranda at Gatineau - 7:00 PM EST

Next game: The Sea Dogs host the Moncton Wildcats tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m.