With five divisional matchups on the horizon for the New York Islanders (14-8-8), the team finishes their 2023 Western Conference schedule against the Edmonton Oilers (13-14-1).
EAST MEADOW, NY -- With five divisional matchups on the horizon for the New York Islanders (14-8-8), the team finishes their 2023 Western Conference schedule against the Edmonton Oilers (13-14-1).
Puck drop from UBS Arena is scheduled for 7:30.
The first 40 minutes were not the Islanders’ friend on Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens. After Montreal outshot New York 15-10 in the first period, the Canadiens made the Islanders pay in the second.
Goals from Joel Armia and Cole Caufield, along with a pair from Josh Anderson, got Montreal a 4-0 lead heading into the third period. The Islanders tried their best to rally with two goals from Brock Nelson and a Bo Horvat tally, but it was too late; Christian Dvorak scored an empty net goal to finish a 5-3 Islander loss.
Tonight’s game is the front end of a back-to-back, the Islanders visit the Washington Capitals in the second game on Wednesday. Tomorrow’s matchup is the first of five games against division rivals, including the Capitals twice, the Pittsburgh Penguins twice, and the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday.
Morning Skate Updates
The Islanders held a morning skate at Northwell Health Ice Center this morning.
Ilya Sorokin left the ice first for the Islanders, he will make his 20th start of the season tonight (8-4-7, .912 SV%, 3.15 GAA). In five matchups with Edmonton, Sorokin is 2-3-0 with a 2.40 GAA, .931 SV%, and a shutout. He lost his most recent matchup, surrendering three goals on 31 shots in a 4-1 final.
After taking an apparent hand injury on Saturday night, Bo Horvat took the ice with the Islanders on Monday.
Kyle Palmieri (maintenance) and Oliver Wahlstrom (illness) both missed Monday’s practice but were both back on the ice.
Palmieri will play, while Wahlstrom remains an extra.
Edmonton skated at UBS Arena this morning.
Derek Ryan did not practice with the team prior to traveling to Long Island. He will miss tonight’s game.
Stuart Skinner was in the starter’s crease for the Oilers, he’ll make his 21st start and 22nd appearance of the season tonight (11-8-1, 3.04 GAA, .885 SV%). He won his only career start against the Islanders on Nov. 13, only allowing one goal on 33 shots.
New York Islanders Lines (Projected)
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
Semyon Varlamov
Ilya Sorokin
Edmonton Oilers Lines (Projected)
Evander Kane - Connor McDavid - Zach Hyman
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - Leon Draisaitl - Warren Foegle
Mattias Janmark - Ryan McLeod - Connor Brown
Adam Erne - James Hamblin - Sam Gagner
Darnell Nurse - Cody Ceci
Mattias Ekholm - Evan Bouchard
Brett Kulak - Vincent Desharnais
Stuart Skinner
Calvin Pickard
Islanders Notes
The Islanders are 2-0-0 against the Oilers at UBS Arena, winning their meeting last year 3-0. Two goals from Jean-Gabriel Pageau and one by Sebastian Aho in the second proved more than enough for Sorokin, earning a 49-save shutout.
Horvat’s goal on Saturday gave him a career-high 10-game point streak. In that stretch, he boasts seven goals and nine assists, good for 16 points. Horvat also leads active Islanders in all three offensive categories against the Oilers, boasting 11 goals, 17 assists, and 28 points.
With his two goals against the Canadiens, Nelson also enters the game hot. The center has a four-game point streak entering tonight, totaling four goals and three assists in that span.
Noah Dobson was named the NHL’s Third Star of the Week on Monday. The Islanders’ blueliner had eight assists in four games, including three against Montreal on Saturday. Dobson was the second Islander to accomplish the feat, joining Mathew Barzal’s Second Star nomination for the week of Nov. 27.
Oilers Notes
The Oilers took the first meeting between the two teams on Nov. 13., Kris Knoblauch’s first game as Edmonton’s head coach The Islanders got an early goal from Mathew Barzal, but that was all the team could muster. Leon Draisaitl tied the game before the end of the first, and Hyman, Connor McDavid, and Evander Kane all tallied third-period goals, propelling the Oilers to a 4-1 win.
The Oilers were hunted by the Florida Panthers last time out on Saturday. Florida got three goals in the opening frame from Carter Verhaeghe, Brandon Montour, and Aleksander Barkov. Despite a Hyman tally in the second, Sam Bennett restored Florida’s three-goal lead, with Verhaeghe ending a 5-1 win with his second of the night.
Despite a slow start for his standards, McDavid has found that top gear since Knoblauch took over as bench boss. McDavid is riding a 12-game point streak, boasting seven goals and 21 assists in that span.
Although not to the degree of McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is also on a hot streak. In a six-game point streak, he has two goals and nine assists in that span.
McDavid and Draisaitl, unsurprisingly, have their share of dominance against the Islanders. Driasaitl leads active Oilers with eight goals against the Islanders, while McDavid leads in assists with 12. Both have 17 points in 14 career matchups with New York.
Betting Corner
Edmonton’s improved play since their coaching change, the Oilers enter tonight’s game as the favorite, sitting at -135 on the moneyline; the Islanders come in at +110. The over/under starts at 6.5 goals, the over more likely at -135 compared to the under at +110.
All lines are courtesy of MGM Sportsbook.
How to Watch
Tonight’s game is an ESPN+/Hulu exclusive, their second such broadcast this season. The Islanders return to the platform on Mar. 14 against the Buffalo Sabres. On the radio, tonight’s game will air on 88.7 FM WRHU, 103.9 LI News Radio, and 1050 AM ESPN.
Matthew Page contributed to this report.