The New York Islanders (14-7-7) close out a six-game homestand Friday as they host the Boston Bruins (18-5-4). This is the first of a back-to-back situation.
EAST MEADOW, NY -- The New York Islanders (14-7-7) close out a six-game homestand tonight as they host the Boston Bruins (18-5-4).
Puck drop from UBS Arena is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Following the game, the Islanders will head up to Montreal to battle the Canadiens on Saturday night at 7 p.m.
On Wednesday, the Islanders continued their point streak to seven games (6-0-1) and win streak to four games. New York held a two-goal lead in the second period after goals from Kyle Palmieri and Casey Cizikas. The lead was blown before the second ended as the Ducks tied it up on a few bad bounces.
The Ducks took the lead in the third before Mathew Barzal tied the game on a power play. Simon Holmstrom buried the game-winner while shorthanded with only 1:33 remaining, pulling the Islanders to a 4-3 win.
Tonight against the Bruins, Mike Reilly will face the team he played for from 2021-23. Reilly was a member of the Bruins when they lost to the Islanders in six games during the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Morning Skate Updates
Ilya Sorokin (8-4-6, 3.11 GAA, .914 SV%) was in the Islanders starter’s crease as he will make his 19th start of the season and his fifth appearance against Boston (1-2-1, 2.41 GAA, .919 SV%).
Matt Martin, Oliver Wahlstrom, and Grant Hutton were extras.
Linus Ullmark (9-4-1, 2.71 GAA, .917 SV%) was in the Bruins starter’s crease as he is set to make his 14th start of the season. He’s battled the Islanders 14 times in his career (8-5-1, 2.28 GAA, .916 SV%).
The Bruins will be without Long Beach native Charlie McAvoy and one of the more underrated players in the league, Pavel Zacha, as both found themselves on injury reserve Wednesday.
Forward Patrick Brown and former Islander defenseman Parker Wotherspoon have been recalled from Providence (AHL).
New York Islanders Lines
Anders Lee -- Bo Horvat -- Mathew Barzal
Pierre Engvall -- Brock Nelson -- Kyle Palmieri
Simon Holmstrom -- Jean-Gabriel Pageau -- Julien Gauthier
Hudson Fasching -- Casey Cizikas -- Cal Clutterbuck
Alexander Romanov -- Noah Dobson
Samuel Bolduc-- Robert Bortuzzo
Mike Reilly -- Sebastian Aho
Ilya Sorokin
Semyon Varlamov
Boston Bruins Lines (Projected)
Danton Heinen -- Morgan Geekie -- David Pastrnak
Brad Marchand -- Charlie Coyle -- Jake DeBrusk
James Van Riemsdyk -- Trent Frederic -- Jesper Boqvist
Jakub Lauko -- John Beecher -- Oskar Steen
Hampus Lindholm -- Ian Mitchell
Matt Grzelcyk -- Brandon Carlo
Mason Lohrei -- Kevin Shattenkirk
Linus Ullmark
Jeremy Swayman
Islanders Notes
Mathew Barzal scored his tenth goal of the season on Wednesday, becoming the third member of the Islanders to reach that tally this season, along with Brock Nelson and Bo Horvat. Barzal is currently on a four-game point streak.
Horvat also moved his point streak to eight games with an assist on Barzal’s game-tying goal on Wednesday.
Simon Holmstrom scored his league-leading fourth shorthanded goal of the season with the eventual game-winner. Holmstrom is now up to eight total goals on the season.
Noah Dobson added two assists against Anaheim to extend his point streak to five games. Dobson tied Tomas Jonsson for the second-most multi-point games by an Islanders defenseman before age 24. It was his 29th multi-point performance.
Bruins Notes
The Bruins got the better of the Islanders last season, winning all three matchups against New York. Boston won at UBS Arena on December 13, 2022, and January 18, 2023, by scores of 4-3 and 4-1, respectively. The one game at TD Garden was a 6-2 victory on February 18, 2023, where Mathew Barzal was injured and forced to miss the rest of the regular season.
Charlie McAvoy and Pavel Zacha were both placed on Injured Reserve yesterday. The Bruins called up both Patrick Brown and former Islander Parker Wotherspoon from their AHL affiliate in Providence.
David Pastrnak is the Bruins leader in goals, assists, and points. The 27-year-old has 16 goals and 23 assists for 39 points in 27 games in the 2023-24 campaign. He scored two goals and added an assist in Boston’s 5-3 win over Arizona on December 9.
Morgan Geekie scored the lone goal for the Bruins in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Devils on Wednesday.
The Bruins' goaltending tandem is one of the best in the NHL. Both Ullmark and Swayman have evenly split the goal crease this season. Swayman started for Boston on Wednesday and has started 14 games this season, with Ullmark having started 13 times. Both have appeared in 14 games.
Betting Corner
The Islanders haven't beaten the Bruins since February 17, 2022. Tonight, the Bruins are the favorites, coming in at -125 on the money line. The Islanders sit at +105. The spread is in favor of Boston, coming in at 1.5, with the Over/Under number currently at 5.5. All lines are courtesy of MGM Sportsbook.
How To Watch:
Tonight’s game is available on MSGSN. On the radio, tonight’s game is available on 88.7 FM WRHU, 103.9 LI News Radio, and 1050 AM ESPN.
Brendan Yerkes contributed to this report.