Islanders Visit Senators in Black Friday Matchup

After enjoying Thanksgiving with back-to-back wins, the New York Islanders (7-6-5) visit the Ottawa Senators (8-7-0) on Friday night.

Author:
Stefen Rosner
Publish date:
Nov 24, 2023 1:00 PM EST

After enjoying Thanksgiving with back-to-back wins, the New York Islanders (7-6-5) visit the Ottawa Senators (8-7-0) on Friday night.

Puck drop from Canadian Tire Centre is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

The Islanders earned their second straight win with a 3-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday.

New York got an early lead on a goal from Anders Lee, the lone goal through 20 minutes of play. Brock Nelson tallied a pair over the final two periods, and while the Flyers had answers for both goals, they were unable to get the game even. Ilya Sorokin made 34 stops to preserve the lead and finish a 3-2 Islander win.

Morning Skate Updates

The Islanders skated at Canadian Tire Center on Friday morning.

Semyon Varlamov was in the starter’s crease for New York, and first off, as he’ll make his seventh start of the season tonight (2-3-1, 2.18 GAA, .934 SV%).

Matt Martin was absent as he works his way back from an upper-body injury. He'll miss his fourth straight game.

Julien Gauthier skated as an extra, so it will likely be the same lineup for the Islanders.

Ottawa held a morning skate at their practice facility this morning.

Anton Forsberg left the ice first for the Senators, he will make his sixth start and seventh appearance on the season (3-3-0, 3.21 GAA, .860 SV%).

Joonas Korpisalo, who started the Senators’ first matchup against the Islanders, left practice early yesterday due to an injury. Mads Sogaard was recalled from AHL Belleville, he’ll be Forsberg’s backup.

Thomas Chabot returned to practice for the Senators on Thursday. The defenseman suffered a hand injury against the Islanders in their first meeting on October 27.

New York Islanders Lines (Projected)

Mathew Barzal - Bo Horvat - Simon Holmstrom

Pierre Engvall - Brock Nelson - Kyle Palmieri

Anders Lee - Jean-Gabriel Pageau - Oliver Wahlstrom

Hudson Fasching - Casey Cizikas - Cal Clutterbuck

Adam Pelech - Noah Dobson

Alexander Romanov - Ryan Pulock

Sebastian Aho - Scott Mayfield

Semyon Varlamov

Ilya Sorokin

Ottawa Senators Lines (Projected)

Brady Tkachuk - Josh Norris - Vladimir Tarasenko

Scroll to Continue

Islanders Notes

The Islanders defeated the Senators in their first matchup of the season 3-2 on October 26. The Islanders got off to a hot start, getting goals from Bo Horvat and Cal Clutterbuck in the first period.

Ottawa got the game even in the middle period on goals from Claude Giroux and Jakob Chychrun, and the Islanders had 21 minutes in penalties through the period. Despite the second period struggles, Noah Dobson broke the tie in the third, and Ilya Sorokin made 45 saves, helping the Islanders to the win.

Dobson’s two points against the Senators in their first meeting, including the game-winner, gave him a three-game point streak against Ottawa. Dobson has two goals and five assists, seven points, in that span.

Lifetime, Anders Lee leads the team in goals against the Senators with 12. Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat lead the team in the other two offensive categories with 13 assists and 18 points, respectively.

Despite Sorokin’s effort against the Senators earlier this year, Varlamov will make his 15th career start against Ottawa. Varlamov is 6-5-2 with a 3.02 GAA and .907 SV% lifetime against the Senators.

Senators Notes

Ottawa enters tonight’s game on a three-game winning streak, and tonight marks their first game since the 2023 NHL Global Series in Stockholm, Sweden.

The Senators swept their two games across the pond, defeating the Detroit Red Wings in overtime on November 16 and, most recently, besting the Minnesota Wild 2-1 in the shootout last Saturday.

After Marco Rossi and Erik Brannstrom traded goals in the final two periods, Josh Norris scored the lone goal in the skills contest to give Ottawa the win.

Ottawa’s scoring leaders are two homegrown talents: Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stützle. Tkachuk boasts a team-high 10 goals, while Stützle leads the team with 16 helpers and 20 points.

Giroux’s goal in October extended his lead in scoring against the Islanders among active Senators. The former Flyer now boasts 26 goals and 47 assists in 68 games against New York.

Anton Forsberg will make his eighth career start and ninth appearance against the Islanders on Friday. The netminder has struggled lifetime against New York, holding a 2-5-0 record, 3.48 GAA, and .900 SV%.

Betting Corner:

Do you think the Islanders will beat the Senators? Ottawa comes in as the favorite, sitting at -130 on the moneyline, while the Islanders enter at +105. The over/under starts at 6.5 goals, the over at +100, and the under at -120.

All lines are courtesy of MGM Sportsbook.