The New York Islanders play their penultimate preseason game tonight in UBS Arena as they host the New York Rangers with puck drop scheduled for just after 7:30.
It's the first of a back-to-back pair of games at UBS Arena for the Islanders, their only two home preseason games this year. Saturday's game against the New Jersey Devils will also start just after 7:30.
As a result of the back-to-back, the Islanders are rotating their lineup heavily for tonight's game, with a decidedly more AHL-flavored forward group.
However, the main headline is not the forwards. It's the return of Alexander Romanov to game action following surgery and a lost season.
Romanov missed almost the entirety of last season, suffering a season-ending shoulder injury on November 18 in Dallas, and missed the final 62 games of the season.
For those counting, that's 311 days since the injury. Safe to say, Romanov's ready to rumble:
The other major headline for the Islanders is Semyon Varlamov, who will play the entire game tonight for the Islanders after taking the option this morning at morning skate.
It will be Varlamov's first start at the NHL level since November 2024.
The Russian goaltender, along with Romanov, will both have their hands full, as tonight is the final preseason game of the year for the Rangers, who are treating tonight as a dress rehearsal and will be playing something very close to their opening night lineup:
Elsewhere for the Islanders, the battle for the final defensive spots continue, as Matthew Kessel, Kashawn Aitcheson, and Isaiah George all play again tonight.
Scott Mayfield is expected to play tomorrow against the Devils, in what'll be the Islanders' dress rehearsal for the regular season, with a lineup very close to what it'll be Wednesday in Toronto.
The puck drops in UBS Arena tonight for the first time, and hockey is officially back on Long Island.
