New York Islanders Morning Skate Updates EAST MEADOW, NY -- With two games remaining on their six-game homestand, the New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/latest-news/new-york-islanders-northwell-help-childrens-hospital-christmas-chanukkah] (13-7-7) host the Anaheim Ducks (10-17-0). Puck drop from UBS Arena is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The Islanders extended their winning streak to three games on Monday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Auston Matthews opened the scoring on the power play in the first period, but New York finished the frame strong, getting goals from Brock Nelson and Casey Cizikas. Kyle Palmieri added an insurance marker early in the second, but former Islanders captain John Tavares had an answer, earning his 999th career point. With New York hanging onto a one-goal lead in the final minute of regulation, Morgan Reilly tapped home a deflected rebound by Tavares to tie the game with six seconds left. Tavares’ helper gave him his 1,000th career point, reaching the milestone against the team that drafted him. However, the Toronto celebration was short-lived, as Bo Horvat finished a pass from Mathew Barzal 46 seconds into overtime, giving the Islanders a 4-3 win. Tonight’s game has some extra meaning for two former members of the organization. On the ice, forward Ross Johnston will play his first game against the Islanders since being placed on waivers in October. The former enforcer played in 134 games with the club, tallying nine goals and 15 assists. Behind the bench, former Bridgeport Islanders’ head coach Brent Thompson, now an assistant with Anaheim, will face his former organization. MORNING SKATE UPDATES The Islanders skated at Northwell Health Ice Center this morning. Semyon Varlamov took the starter’s crease for the Islanders, as he’ll make his 10th start of the season tonight (5-3-1, 2.55 GAA, .925 SV%). Forward Matt Martin was placed on the IR by the team on Monday, retroactively to Dec. 2. The 34-year-old was activated off IR on Nov. 28 but hasn't played since Nov. 15 and isn't ready just yet to return. The Ducks skated at UBS Arena on Wednesday morning. John Gibson left the ice first for Anaheim, he’ll make his 19th start of the campaign tonight (5-12-0, 2.83 GAA, .906 SV%). NEW YORK ISLANDERS LINES 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 - Sebastian Aho Samuel Bolduc - Robert Bortuzzo Semyon Varlamov Ilya Sorokin ANAHEIM DUCKS LINES (PROJECTED) Alex Killorn - Leo Carlsson - Troy Terry Frank Vatrano - Ryan Strome - Brett Leason Max Jones - Adam Henrique - Jakob Silfverberg Ross Johnston - Sam Carrick - Brock McGinn Cam Fowler - Jackson LaCombe Pavel Mintyukov - Ilya Lybushkin Urho Vaakanainen - Radko Gudas John Gibson Lukas Dostal ISLANDERS NOTES The Islanders took both games from the Ducks last season. In their matchup at UBS Arena on October 15, the Islanders exploded for seven goals. Scott Mayfield scored a pair, and 12 players tallied points in a 7-1 victory. In their most recent matchup on March 15, the Islanders earned a 6-3 win. After the Ducks held a 2-1 lead after the first period, the Islanders scored the next five, including two from Brock Nelson, to finish off the win. Horvat continued his recent heroics with the overtime winner on Monday. He now boasts a seven-game point streak, totaling five goals and six assists in that span. He will look to continue his strong career against the Ducks, he leads the team with 10 goals and 15 points against Anaheim. Anders Lee, Cal Clutterbuck, and Jean-Gabriel Pageau each have a team-high seven assists against Anaheim. In other hot streaks, Barzal, who set up the game-winner on Monday, has five red lights and nine helpers in his last 10 games. Noah Dobson, who cracked the 20-assist mark against Toronto, has a four-game point streak with six assists in that stretch. Kyle Palmieri scored four points, a goal, and three assists in the Islanders’ win on March 15. Since joining the Islanders, the former Duck has three goals and four assists in four games. Varlamov will make his 15th start against the Ducks tonight. The goaltender has a 4-6-3 record against Anaheim's lifetime, despite a 3.08 GAA and .904 SV%. Most recently, Varlamov started a barnburner between the two teams on December 21, 2019, yielding five goals in a 6-5 shootout loss. DUCKS NOTES After a hot start to the season, Anaheim has struggled since the start of November. They’ve lost 10 of their last 11 games, including a three-game losing streak entering tonight. Against the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday, Anaheim let a 2-0 third-period lead slip away. After goals by Alex Killorn and Adam Henrique, four straight Jets goals, including a game-winner from Gabe Vilardi with under two minutes left, helped the Jets soar to a 4-2 win. Despite the recent struggles, Anaheim is enjoying breakout years from two rookies. Mason McTavish, a former third-overall pick, has 10 goals and 11 assists in 24 games. Leo Carlsson, last year’s second-overall pick, made the team out of camp and has eight goals and five helpers in his first pro season. Henrique, a former New Jersey Devil, is one of the Ducks’ top scorers against the Islanders. The Anaheim center has a team-best nine goals, along with a tie for the lead in points with defenseman Cam Fowler. Henrique and Fowler each have 18 points against New York, but Fowler has 13 assists to Henrique’s nine. Gibson will make his eighth career start against the Islanders tonight, as well as his ninth appearance overall. After success against New York early in his career, he's lost his last three meetings with the Islanders. Overall, he’s 4-3-1 with a 3.22 GAA and .901 SV%, most recently surrendering six goals on 33 shots. BETTING CORNER Do you think the Islanders will beat the Ducks? The Islanders enter as the favorite in tonight’s contest, sitting at -225 on the money line; Anaheim enters at +185. The over/under begins at six goals, both equally likely at -110. All lines are courtesy of MGM Sportsbook. HOW TO WATCH: Tonight’s game is available on MSGSN2. On the radio, tonight’s game is available on 88.7 FM WRHU, 103.9 LI News Radio, and 1050 AM ESPN. Matthew Page [https://twitter.com/matthewpage24] contributed to this report.
