Anders Lee says ex-Islander Mark Parrish has mentored him

Anders Lee remembers the sandwich. Fortunately, that isn’t the only thing the Islanders forward recalls from his meal with former Islanders right winger and current television analyst Mark Parrish.

The two met a few summers ago through Lee’s agent, shared a meal, talked shop and remained close as Lee’s Islanders career progressed into stardom.

“[Parrish] is one of the best out there,” Lee said Monday after practice at Northwell Health Ice Center. “We just went over a lot of stuff, his career and how he played the net. I took from him as much as I could and he’s been a huge supporter ever since. We’ve had a nice little friendship and it’s obviously great that he comes out and has taken part in the [television] commentary and whatnot . . .

“Now that he’s working with the Isles, I see him more often. It’s just a couple good Minnesota guys bonding over that. We play similar games, too. It’s always a good common ground.”

Whatever Parrish told his fellow Minnesotan clearly has worked. Lee scored his 34th and 35th goals of the season in the Islanders’ 4-3 loss to the Hurricanes on Sunday at Barclays Center. It’s a career-high goal total for Lee, who scored 34 last season and ranked ninth in the league this season entering play Monday.

“He’s had a great season,” coach Doug Weight said. “Around the net, I don’t think there’s anybody better, with his eye-hand and his ability to create room and initiate contact. Obviously, he’s been able to get pucks in the net. Thirty-five goals is tough to do in this league, so it’s good.”

Both of Lee’s goals Sunday came on the power play, a unit that has played well lately. The Islanders have scored five power-play goals in their last two games and have converted 21.8 percent of those opportunities, ninth in the league entering play Monday.

“It seems like power plays kind of go in spurts like this,” Lee said. “Right now, we’ve had a couple of shots that have gone in. [We] started it up in Washington [Friday] and we were able to get a few to go last night. We’re getting pucks to the net. We’re moving the puck around and moving it quickly, and that’s what we need to do every night.”

Notes & quotes: John Tavares practiced at center Monday and will play there Tuesday night against the Penguins, Weight said. Weight experimented with Tavares at left wing early in the first period of Sunday’s loss but moved him back to center by the midway point of the opening period.

Nikolay Kulemin practiced Monday, but Weight said he is not expected back until at least next week. Kulemin had shoulder surgery in November.

“I think he’s really close,” Weight said. “He just hasn’t done a lot of battle yet. I think physically he’s getting pretty close. I would say next week we’ll start talking about it. I know we’re running out of weeks here.”