Matt Stajan, right, is part of a Maple Leafs outfit that has scored just six goals during a three-game losing skid. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)

Maple Leafs fans dreaming of John Tavares pulling on a Toronto jersey at next summer's draft in Montreal are a happy group these days.

They'll be even more excited should the NHL team drop a fourth consecutive game Monday when the equally struggling New York Islanders pay a visit (7:30 p.m. ET).

A loss would result in the Leafs and Islanders switching places in the 15-team Eastern Conference as Toronto enters the game in 12th spot with a 9-12-6 record for 24 points, two more than New York (10-14-2).

The Maple Leafs will also be minus one of their top defencemen Monday, with rookie Luke Schenn expected to be out a minimum two weeks with a suspected knee injury.

"He has arguably been our best defensive defenceman, and [Saturday] night [against Washington] he was playing off [star forward Alex] Ovechkin, and Ovechkin had no scoring chances until Luke got hurt," Toronto head coach Ron Wilson told reporters.

"Then Ovechkin had five scoring chances after Luke was out. Now we're going to have some other guys to step up their game in order to cover while Luke's out."

Two of those blue-liners, Mike Van Ryn and Jonas Frogren, are nearing a return from injured reserve. Van Ryn likely will play Friday at Buffalo after spending four weeks recovering from a broken hand, concussion, broken nose and lost teeth after being rammed into the boards by Montreal's Tom Kostopoulos in a Nov. 8 game.

Frogren, out the past few weeks with an elbow injury, could be back next week.

Toronto will also be without steady forward Niklas Hagman after he suffered a slight concussion during Saturday's 2-1 loss to Washington.

Busy schedule hasn't helped

Forward Jeremy Williams was recalled Sunday from the American Hockey League's Toronto Marlies to take Hagman's spot, while Jaime Sifers will fill in for Schenn.

Williams has scored 11 goals and 14 points in 19 games in the minors this season. Sifers, who didn't see action after being called up for the Leafs' recent West Coast trip, has six points in 19 games with the Marlies.

A busy schedule, with five games in the past nine days, hasn't helped Toronto in its attempts to halt the latest slide.

Wilson said his team, which has lost nine of 12, must revert to its early-season trend of getting numerous shots on net.

The Islanders are coming off a 5-1 defeat Saturday to Atlanta, which is 14th in the East with a 9-14-3 mark.

First-year coach Scott Gordon said there were "not too many guys he can be critical of" and praised his team's effort.

The Islanders were outshot 29-17 and goaltender Joey MacDonald, subbing for the injured Rick DiPietro in recent weeks, may be tiring after making 16 starts in a row.

He has won only one of his last five starts while sporting a 4.00 goals-against average after going 7-3-1, 2.40, in his previous 11 outings.

"It's huge," MacDonald said of Monday's game to kick off a four-game road trip.

New York is currently without two promising forwards in Kyle Okposo (sprained right wrist) and Frans Nielsen (multiple leg injuries).

Defencemen Radek Martinek (shoulder) and Bruno Gervais (leg) and centre Mike Comrie (hip) are the other Islanders nursing injuries.

Since losing four of five to the Maple Leafs, New York is 5-2-0 in the last seven meetings. The Islanders took the most recent clash, 5-4, on Feb. 14.