After playing the role of Kingslayers on Saturday night, the New York Islanders (12-7-7) host the Toronto Maple Leafs (14-6-4) on Monday night.
After playing the role of Kingslayers on Saturday night, the New York Islanders (12-7-7) host the Toronto Maple Leafs (14-6-4) on Monday night.
Puck drop from UBS Arena is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
The Islanders snapped the Los Angeles Kings’ historic road start to the season over the weekend.
After an even first period, the Kings dominated the second. Adrian Kempe and Vladislav Gabrikov lit the lamp in the middle frame to give Los Angeles a 2-0 lead. Despite the deficit and 16-5 shot advantage for the Kings in the second, the Islanders rallied back to tie. Anders Lee buried two rebounds over seven minutes apart, forcing the game to overtime.
The extra session needed only 13 seconds, as Jean-Gabriel Pageau buried a breakaway through the five-hole of Cam Talbot, finishing a 3-2 win and snapping the Kings’ 11-game road winning streak.
As Toronto visits Long Island, their captain is on the verge of history. John Tavares enters tonight two points shy of 1,000 for his career. The former Islanders captain could become the 98th player in NHL history to accomplish the milestone.
Morning Skate Updates
The Islanders skated at Northwell Health Ice Center this morning.
Matt Martin and Sebastian Aho both skated as extras once again with Oliver Wahlstrom.
Aho will miss his eighth-straight game with an upper-body injury and has yet to be activated out of injured reserve.
Ilya Sorokin was in the starter’s crease for the Islanders. He will make his 18th start of the season tonight (7-4-6, 3.12 GAA, .913 SV%).
The Maple Leafs skated at UBS Arena on Monday.
With Joseph Woll hitting the IR due to an ankle sprain, Ilya Samsonov will continue to carry the load in net. He will make his 12th start of the season (5-1-3, 3.21 GAA, .886 SV%).
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
Alex Romanov - Noah Dobson
Mike Reilly - Scott Mayfield
Samuel Bolduc - Robert Bortuzzo
Ilya Sorokin
Semyon Varlamov
Toronto Maple Leafs Lines (Projected)
Matthew Knies - Auston Matthews - William Nylander
Tyler Bertuzzi - John Tavares - Mitch Marner
Nicholas Robertson - Max Domi - Calle Järnkrok
Noah Gregor - David Kämpf - Ryan Reaves
Morgan Rielly - T.J. Brodie
Simon Benoit - Jake McCabe
Max Lajoie - Connor Timmins
Ilya Samsonov
Martin Jones
Islanders Notes
The Islanders took two of three from Toronto last season, winning the bookend games of their season series.
In the Maple Leafs’ visit to UBS Arena on Mar. 21, New York won 7-2. Sam Lafferty opened the scoring in the first, but the Islanders got three straight goals from Zach Parise, Hudson Fasching, and Cal Clutterbuck in the second. After Mitch Marner cut the lead in half to start the third, New York scored four unanswered goals from Clutterbuck, Simon Holmstrom, Noah Dobson, and Lee.
Bo Horvat extended his point streak to six games on Saturday. The Islanders’ top center boasts 10 points, four goals, and six assists in that span. Mathew Barzal added a helper of his own to continue his hot stretch, totaling four goals and eight assists in his last five games.
Lee, who scored two goals against the Kings on Saturday, leads the team in goals against Toronto lifetime; the captain has nine goals in 22 career games, including three in his last two matchups with the Maple Leafs. Horvat leads in assists and points with 11 and 17, respectively.
Sorokin will make his sixth career start against the Maple Leafs tonight, a team he has struggled against in his career. He has a 2-3-0 record with a 3.00 GAA and a .914 SV%.
Maple Leafs Notes
The Maple Leafs enter tonight’s game off back-to-back wins as well, most recently blanking the Nashville Predators. David Kämpf and Auston Matthews opened the scoring for Toronto in the second period, the latter added one more early in the third. Noah Gregor sealed the deal with an empty net goal, with Samsonov making 18 stops in a 4-0 win.
In his contract year, William Nylander is playing the best hockey of his career. Along with his 13 goals and 19 assists, he enters tonight with a four-game point streak. The Swedish winger has a goal and four assists in that span.
Auston Matthews also enters tonight’s game hot. The former first-overall pick has four goals and two assists in his last four games and sits in a tie for most career goals against the Islanders. He and Marner have nine in their careers.
Marner and Nylander both have 16 points lifetime against New York to lead active Maple Leafs.
Nylander has seven goals and a team-best nine assists, while Marner has seven helpers alongside his nine red lights. Marner has recorded points in all but three of his 16 career appearances against the Islanders.
Ilya Samsonov will make his 10th start and 11th appearance against the Islanders in his career. Although he holds a 3.24 GAA and .881 SV% against New York, he has a 6-4-0 record. He lost the last time Toronto played the Islanders, yielding six goals on 28 shots.
Betting Corner
Do you think the Islanders will beat the Maple Leafs? The visitors enter tonight’s game as the favorite, sitting at -125 on the money line; the Islanders come in at +105. The over/under starts at six goals, the over favored at -120 to the under’s +100.
All lines are courtesy of MGM Sportsbook.
How to Watch
Tonight’s game is available on MSGSN. On the radio, tonight’s contest will air on 88.7 FM WRHU, 103.9 LI News Radio and 1050 AM ESPN.
Matthew Page contributed to this report.