After dropping their sixth-straight game on Thursday, the New York Islanders (29-25-15) host the Winnipeg Jets (44-20-5) in the first of two home games this weekend.
After dropping their sixth-straight game on Thursday, the New York Islanders (29-25-15) host the Winnipeg Jets (44-20-5) in the first of two home games this weekend.
Puck drop from UBS Arena is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
Winnipeg took their first meeting with the Islanders on Jan. 16 in Manitoba. Gabe Vilardi and Anders Lee traded goals in the first period, but Neal Pionk and Mason Appleton put the Jets ahead after 40 minutes. Lee's second of the game cut the deficit in half early in the third, but Connor Hellebuyck stood tall in net for Winnipeg. His 35 saves and an empty net goal from Kyle Connor propelled the Jets to a 4-2 win.
Where They've Been:
The Jets enter Saturday's game off a 4-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Thursday. Both teams went scoreless in the first inning before Jack Hughes and Nikolaj Ehlers traded goals in the second. However, the third period was all Devils, as Nico Hischier, Timo Meier, and Hughes' second goal of the game lifted New Jersey to a 4-1 win.
The Jets are amid a tight playoff race in the Central Division. They sit in a three-way race with the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars for positioning; the Jets haven't won a division in their franchise's history.
Players To Watch:
Semyon Varlamov will start Saturday afternoon's game for New York. It will be his 20th start of the season (7-7-4, 2.86 GAA, .910 SV%). His most recent outing came last Saturday against the Ottawa Senators when he surrendered four goals on 30 shots in an overtime defeat. Against Winnipeg, he is 17-10-2 with a 2.36 GAA and .919 SV%, pitching a 23-save shutout in his last matchup with the Jets on Feb. 26, 2023.
Mathew Barzal scored his 21st goal of the season on Thursday. He is now one red light short of his career high. He is also one assist shy of reaching the 50-assist plateau for the second time in his career. Both feats were accomplished in his rookie year.
Two Islanders skaters are approaching milestones entering play this weekend.
Defenseman Mike Reilly is one assist short of the 100th in his NHL career, while center Bo Horvat is two points shy of 500 lifetime.
Lee's two goals continued his dominance against the Jets lifetime; the Islanders captain has 16 goals and 22 points against Winnipeg to lead active Islanders. Horvat, who enters Saturday's game on a four-game point streak against the Jets (two goals and two assists), leads in assists with nine.
Winnipeg will play a back-to-back this weekend, concluding against the Washington Capitals on Sunday.
Acting head coach Scott Arniel did not confirm who will start, but Hellebuyck started their last meeting on Jan. 16 (32-15-3, 2.30 GAA, .923 SV%). He made 39 saves in a 4-2 over the New York Rangers on Tuesday last time out. Against the Islanders, he is 4-5-0 with a 2.83 GAA and .915 SV%, making 35 saves in the aforementioned January matchup.
Mark Scheifele has been vital for Winnipeg on their current road trip. He has three goals and two assists in the three games, including a hat trick against the Rangers on Tuesday. He has a five-game point streak with three goals and four assists in that span.
In their last meeting with the Islanders, Gabe Vilardi had a goal for the Jets, giving him points in all three of his career matchups with New York.
Winnipeg has one notable difference from the last time they faced the Islanders: the team acquired Tyler Toffoli from the Devils at the Trade Deadline. Toffoli has four goals and two assists in six games since joining the Jets; Monahan has eight goals and seven assists in 21 games in a Jets uniform.
Toffoli and Monahan both have their share of success against the Islanders. Toffoli leads the team in goals and points against New York with eight and 16, respectively, while he and Monahan are tied for the lead in assists with eight. Monahan tallied two goals and three assists between two meetings with New York as a member of the Montreal Canadiens earlier this season.
New York Islanders Projected Lines:
Brock Nelson - Bo Horvat - Kyle Palmieri
Anders Lee - Mathew Barzal - Hudson Fasching
Pierre Engvall - Jean-Gabriel Pageau - Simon Holmstrom
Kyle MacLean - Casey Cizikas - Cal Clutterbuck
Adam Pelech - Noah Dobson
Alexander Romanov - Ryan Pulock
Mike Reilly - Robert Bortuzzo
Semyon Varlamov
Ilya Sorokin
Winnipeg Jets Projected Lines:
Kyle Connor - Mark Scheifele - Alex Iafallo
Nikolaj Ehlers - Sean Monahan - Tyler Toffoli
Mason Appleton - Adam Lowry - Nino Niederreiter
Morgan Barron - Erik Gustafsson - Vladislav Namestnikov
Josh Morrissey - Dylan DeMelo
Brendan Dillon - Collin Miller
Dylan Samberg - Nate Schmidt
Connor Hellebuyck
Laurent Brossoit
How To Watch:
Saturday's game will be available on MSGSN. On the radio, the game will air on 88.7 FM WRHU, 103.9 LI News Radio, and 1050 AM ESPN.