NEW YORK -- There is never any shortage of drama when the New York Islanders and New York Rangers meet. But the Islanders and Rangers each have far more on their minds than local bragging rights as as they prepare for the latest incarnation of one of hockey's best rivalries.

The Islanders will host the Rangers for the first time this season on Tuesday, when the teams are scheduled to meet at Barclays Center. The Rangers beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 on Saturday while the Islanders fell to the Detroit Red Wings 4-3 in overtime on Sunday.

"They're always a lot of fun," Islanders center and captain John Tavares said of the games against the Rangers. "Never any love lost in these games, so easy to get up for."

While the Rangers (17-8-1) entered Monday atop the Metropolitan Division and just two points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the top overall seed in the Eastern Conference, coach Alain Vigneault expressed concern with his club's recent inconsistent ways after the Rangers scored three third-period goals to edge the Hurricanes.

"We're like all the teams," Vigneault told reporters. "We need our goaltender to be one of our best players and we need our other best players, whether they are Ds or forwards, to play at the level they're supposed to."

The Rangers have alternated wins with losses in each of their last seven games and are 4-4-1 in their last nine. Despite being in first place, they are just six points ahead of the Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals, who are tied for the final wild-card spot in the East.

Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist discussed the playoff race Saturday when he said he believed it "is going to be a tight one until the end and there's going to be a lot of teams involved. It's going to come down to will -- How badly do you want to win every night? -- because there's so many teams that feel they should be in the race."

One of those teams is the Islanders (9-10-5), who had high expectations this season after reaching the second round of the playoffs last spring for the first time since 1993. But they entered Monday tied for last in the Eastern Conference with the Buffalo Sabres.

"Haven't gotten off to a great start this season and we need the two points," Tavares said.

The Islanders crawled on to the periphery of the race by winning three straight games before Sunday's loss. They are six points behind the Bruins and Capitals -- an imposing gap, but one that is three points smaller than it was just last Monday.

"I think we've been on the right track the last five or six games," Islanders center Anders Lee said.

The Rangers will be without Michael Grabner, who leads the team with 13 goals. Grabner is attending his grandmother's funeral and is expected to return to the team Thursday, when the Rangers visit the Winnipeg Jets.