Game Preview: Islanders Bolt To UBS Arena For Matchup Against Lightning

EAST MEADOW, NY -- After a gut-check win to start the second half, the New York Islanders (21-17-12) kick off a four-game homestand against the Tampa Bay Lightning (27-19-5).

Puck drop from UBS Arena is scheduled for 8:00 p.m.

The Islanders earned Patrick Roy his first regulation win as head coach against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday. New York opened the scoring on a goal by Mathew Barzal late in the first period, but Mitch Marner had the answer for the Maple Leafs in the first minute of the second. Kyle MacLean tallied his first NHL goal on a breakaway two minutes after Marner’s goal, giving New York a 2-1 lead through two frames.

The Islanders held on through the first 15 minutes of the third, but an Oliver Wahlstrom penalty allowed John Tavares to tie the game on the man advantage with 4:48 left. However, in his return to Toronto, Pierre Engvall had the answer to put the Islanders ahead for good, finishing a 3-2 victory over his former team.

The Islanders skated at Northwell Health Ice Center this morning.

Casey Cizikas took the ice in a contact jersey at skate, and with MacLean being loaned back to Bridgeport on Wednesday, that bodes well for his return.

Ilya Sorokin was in the starter’s crease for New York, he will make his 36th start and 37th appearance of the season tonight (15-12-9, 3.13 GAA, .910 SV%). Sorokin has struggled against Tampa in his career, going 1-4-0 with a 4.11 GAA and .870 SV% but won his last matchup with 31 saves on Apr. 6.

The Lightning did not skate on Thursday, as they are on the second game of a back-to-back.

After making his return to the lineup on Wednesday, Mikhail Sergarchev left on a stretcher after suffering a lower-body injury. Former Islanders’ defenseman Calvin de Haan will likely take his place.

Andrei Vasilevskiy started on Wednesday against the New York Rangers, so Jonas Johansson is probable to make his 22nd start and 23rd appearance of the season (10-6-5, 3.34 GAA, .894 SV%).

Anders Lee - Bo Horvat - Mathew Barzal

Pierre Engvall - Brock Nelson - Kyle Palmieri

Simon Holmstrom - Jean-Gabriel Pageau - Oliver Wahlstrom

Matt Martin - Casey Cizikas - Cal Clutterbuck

Adam Pelech - Ryan Pulock

Alexander Romanov - Noah Dobson

Mike Reilly - Scott Mayfield

Ilya Sorokin

Semyon Varlamov

Nick Paul - Brayden Point - Nikita Kucherov

Brandon Hagel - Anthony Cirelli - Steven Stamkos

Michael Eyessimont - Tyler Motte - Connor Sheary

Alex Barré-Boulet - Luke Glendening - Mitchell Chaffee

Victor Hedman - Taylor Raddysh

Calvin de Haan - Erik Cernak

Emil Martinsen Lilleberg - Nick Perbix

Jonas Johansson

Andrei Vasilevskiy

The Islanders defeated the Lightning in their most recent matchup at UBS Arena on Apr. 6. Neither team found the back of the net in the first period, but the middle frame was all Islanders. Adam Pelech, Brock Nelson, and Kyle Palmieri got the Islanders out to a 3-0 lead just after the period’s halfway mark. 

Nikita Kucherov got one back for Tampa, but Ryan Pulock restored the three-goal lead before the end of the period. Simon Holmstrom and Bo Horvat added insurance markers in the third to finish a 6-1 Islander win.

With Barzal’s goal and a secondary assist by Palmieri, both have three-game point streaks with two goals and two assists. Barzal also has seven points in his last six games, totaling two goals and five assists in that span.

Nelson leads the Islanders in all offensive categories against the Lightning, boasting 10 goals and eight assists, 18 points, in 27 career meetings; his eight helpers are tied with Barzal for the team lead.

Tampa enters Thursday’s game off a 3-1 loss to the Rangers on Wednesday. Both teams went scoreless in the opening frame, but Jimmy Vesy and Jonny Brodzinski broke the ice in the second. Brandon Hagel cut the lead in half in the early stages of the third, but Vesey bookended the scoring with an empty net goal to finish off the Rangers’ win.

Hagel’s goal extended his point streak to four games, totaling four goals and two assists in that span. Kucherov’s secondary helper on the goal gives him points in five straight, totaling four goals and seven. Kucherov has been playing at a career pace for the Lightning this season. The Lightning All-Star leads the league in points with 86 entering play on Thursday, along with sitting in a fourth-place tie for goals with 32 and topping the assist list with 54.

Steven Stamkos leads the Lightning in scoring against the Islanders in every department; Tampa Bay’s captain has 21 goals and 24 assists in 43 career games against New York. However, Kucherov has owned the Islanders as of late, owning a five-game point streak with two goals and five assists.

Brayden Point has also developed into an Islander-killer over the past few seasons, totaling six goals and 11 assists in 17 career matchups. He owns a five-game point streak against New York entering play with three goals and six assists in that span, and he’s tallied a point in 10 of his last 12 games against the Islanders, playoffs included.

In this Eastern Conference matchup, the home team enters as the favorite; New York enters at -125 on the money line, while Tampa starts at +100. The over/under starts at six goals, the over favored at -120 with the under at +100.

All lines are courtesy of MGM Sportsbook.

Thursday’s game is an ESPN-exclusive broadcast; it is the Islanders’ third appearance on their family of platforms this season. On the radio, the Islanders and Lightning will be available on 88.7 FM WRHU, 103.9 LI News Radio and 1050 AM ESPN.