Islanders Make Two Changes Ahead Of Minnesota Wild Matchup

The New York Islanders finish off a three-game road trip tonight in St. Paul, Minnesota, where they'll face the Minnesota Wild.

The road trip thus far has yielded an even split, a 6-3 loss to the Dallas Stars and a 4-3 shootout win over the Nashville Predators.

The win in Nashville became New York's first in that building since 2017.

Islanders' Head Coach Peter DeBoer made a notable lineup switch for the Nashville game, when he brought Scott Mayfield back into the lineup while scratching Kyle MacLean.

That meant the Islanders played against Nashville with an 11-forward, 7-defensemen alignment.

Matthew Kessel subsequently only played 5:31 over the course of the game, while Scott Mayfield played 9:06 of the game.

Every other Islanders' defenseman played north of 16 minutes, with Matthew Schaefer playing a career-high 32:16, including all five minutes of overtime.

New York's fourth line also felt the effect, with Mitchell Chaffee playing just over 7-and-a-half minutes, while Casey Cizikas barely cracked 10 minutes.

As a result, DeBoer is making a change for tonight's game against the Wild.

Kyle MacLean returns to the lineup after a one-game absence, while Kessel will be healthy scratched. 

That means the Islanders can return to the traditional 12-forward, 6-defensemen alignment.

Ilya Sorokin gets the start in goal after having Tuesday night off.

Full Islanders Lineup:

Forwards:

Simon Holmstrom - Bo Horvat - Kyle Palmieri

Emil Heineman - Brayden Schenn - Victor Eklund

Ondrej Palat - Jean-Gabriel Pageau - Anthony Duclair

Kyle MacLean - Casey Cizikas - Mitchell Chaffee

Defense:

Logan Stanley - Matthew Schaefer

Adam Pelech - Ryan Pulock

Scott Mayfield - Tony DeAngelo

Starting Goalie:

Ilya Sorokin