After Bo Horvat once again played hero against the Dallas Stars, the New York Islanders (24-20-14) face the Detroit Red Wings (33-20-6) in the Motor City.
After Bo Horvat once again played hero against the Dallas Stars, the New York Islanders (24-20-14) face the Detroit Red Wings (33-20-6) in the Motor City.
Puck drop from Little Caesars Arena is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
Detroit bested the Islanders in their first meeting of the season back in October, overcoming a 2-0 deficit in the third. While the Islanders overcame the blown lead to force overtime, Lucas Raymond scored the game-winner in the extra session.
Where They've Been:
The Red Wings enter Thursday's game off an 8-3 rout of the Washington Capitals, their sixth straight win.
Seven different skaters lit the lamp for Detroit, with Shayne Gostisbehere scoring twice in the first two periods. Lucas Raymond added a goal and two assists, while 14 of their skaters had at least one point in the effort.
Alex Lyon made 18-of-21 saves in the win.
Detroit enters play on Thursday as the top Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, boasting 72 points. They are three points ahead of the second Wild Card, the Tampa Bay Lightning, and 10 points ahead of New York.
Players To Watch:
Ilya Sorokin was in the starter's crease for New York on Wednesday, he will make his 42nd start and 43rd appearance of the season (18-13-11, 3.11 GAA, .910 SV%). He earned the win on Tuesday in Dallas with 30 saves on 32 shots. Against Detroit, Sorokin is 3-1-2 in seven career matchups with a 2.27 GAA and .927 SV%, most recently letting up four goals on 36 shots in their last meeting.
Mathew Barzal earned an assist on Horvat's game-winner, continuing his hot play under Patrick Roy. The Islanders All-Star has five goals and 10 assists in 13 games under Roy, earning points in all but two of them.
Brock Nelson leads the Islanders in goals and points against Detroit with 14 and 24, respectively. He enters Thursday's game with a three-game point streak against the Red Wings with two goals and two assists in that span. Barzal leads in assists against Detroit with 19
Lyon is expected to return to the net for his 28th start and 29th appearance of the season (18-8-2, 2.69 GAA, .914 SV%). Lyon has been playing strong between the pipes as of late, winning four straight starts, including his start against Washington. Thursday marks his first career start against the Islanders.
Gostibehere's two-goal game puts him on a four-game point streak, totaling two goals and three assists in that span. Alex DeBrincat also enters hot with points in four of his last five games, totaling four goals and three assists.
However, the biggest change to Detroit's lineup is the addition of former MVP Patrick Kane. The forward signed with Detroit in late November and enters the game as the hottest Red Wings skater. Kane has points in nine straight games, boasting five goals and nine assists.
Kane's success also extends to his career against the Islanders, as he leads the Red Wings in offense across the board. He has 11 goals and 13 assists, 24 points, in 21 games against New York.
New York Islanders Projected Lines:
Brock Nelson - Bo Horvat - Mathew Barzal
Anders Lee - Jean-Gabriel Pageau - Kyle Palmieri
Pierre Engvall - Casey Cizikas - Simon Holmstrom
Matt Martin - Kyle MacLean - Cal Clutterbuck
Alexander Romanov - Ryan Pulock
Adam Pelech - Noah Dobson
Mike Reilly - Sebastian Aho
Ilya Sorokin
Semyon Varlamov
Detroit Red Wings Projected Lines:
Alex DeBrincat - Dylan Larkin - Patrick Kane
Michael Rasmussen - J.T. Compher - Lucas Raymond
David Perron - Andrew Copp - Joe Veleno
Robby Fabbri - Christian Fischer - Daniel Sprong
Jake Walman - Moritz Seider
Ben Chiarot - Jeff Petry
Olli Maatta - Shayne Gostisbehere
Alex Lyon
James Reimer
How To Watch:
Thursday night's game will air on MSGSN. On the radio, the game is available on 88.7 FM WRHU, 103.9 LI News Radio and 1050 AM ESPN.