Game Preview: Islanders at Devils

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (11-6-4) AT NEW JERSEY DEVILS (7-8-2)
7 PM | PRUDENTIAL CENTER
WATCH: MSG+2 | MSG GO | NHL.TV
LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | WNYM 970 AM

The New York Islanders take on the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night for the first time since Jan. 24 and their first of four meetings within the next three weeks.
Tuesday marks the third meeting of the season between the clubs, with the home team winning the previous two. In the Islanders and Devils' last meeting - and second of the season - New Jersey picked up a 2-0 win. Jack Hughes and Pavel Zacha scored for the Devils, while Ilya Sorokin made 22 saves on 24 shots in the Islanders' loss.
The Islanders enter Tuesday's contest coming off of a 2-0 shutout win over Pittsburgh on Sunday night. The Islanders' scoring was supported by two power-play goals from Oliver Wahlstrom and Jean-Gabriel Pageau. Sorokin received his fifth start of his rookie season and in earning his second win, also posted his second-career shutout with his 20 saves.
New Jersey suffered a 3-2 loss to the Washington Capitals on Sunday night. Mikail Maltsev and Yegor Sharangovich scored while Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 20-of-23 shots in the loss.

ISLANDERS NOTES:

*UPDATE: Semyon Varlamov will start in goal for the Islanders as confirmed by Head Coach Barry Trotz ahead of Tuesday's game. Cal Clutterbuck - who has missed two-straight games - will be a game-time decision against New Jersey.
"I talked to him yesterday, and he was feeling much better," Trotz said of Clutterbuck. "Does that mean that he'll be in the lineup or not? I can't give you an answer, but know that he's going to take warmup and we'll make a decision from there."
• The Islanders special teams were influential in their win over the Penguins. Their power play went 2-for-5 while their penalty kill executed a perfect 2-for-2. The Islanders finished the month of February 9-for-22 on the power play with a league-leading conversion rate of 40.9%.
ISLANDERS AT DEVILS
ISLANDERS ARTICLES
5 Takeaways: Islanders 2, Penguins 0
Prospect Report: March 1
Investigating Billy Jensen's Islanders Fandom
Maven's Memories: Jim Devellano, The Other Architect
ISLANDERS VIDEO
Trotz Pregame: Coming Soon
Player Pregame: Coming Soon
GAME EXTRAS
Silent Auction
Buy Fan Cutouts
Fan Cutout Gallery
Hockey With a Heart
• Wahlstrom scored his third goal of the season and added an assist for the first two-point outing of his career. In the process he extended his point streak to four games with five points (2G, 3A) during that span. Wahlstrom's goal was his first goal on the power play and first game-winner of his rookie season. Through 14 games this season, Wahlstrom has totaled seven points (3G, 4A). Wahlstrom became the first Islander rookie to have a power-play goal and a power-play assist in the same game since Mathew Barzal did so twice in 2017-18.
• Pageau scored his ninth goal of the season to tie Anders Lee for the team lead in goals. Pageau's goal was his third in the last four games and his eighth goal in the last 10 games. Through 21 games this season, Pageau has posted 13 points (9G, 4A).
• With the primary assist on Wahlstrom's goal Nick Leddy picked up his team-leading 13th assist. Leddy also extended his point streak to four games with five assists during that span. The blueliner also has nine assists in his last 10 games. Through 21 games this season, Leddy leads Islanders defensemen in scoring with 14 points (1G, 13A) and is tied with Anders Lee for the second-most points among the team. Leddy became the first Islander defenseman with at least 13 assists in the first 21 games since 2005-06, when Alexei Zhitnik had 15.
• Josh Bailey assisted on both of the Islanders' power-play goals. The winger now has 12 points (2G, 10A) through 21 games this season.
• Sorokin improved his record to 2-2-1 as he earned his second-career win and second-career shutout. The Russian rookie also became the first Islander rookie goalie since Chico Resch to record consecutive shutouts. Sorokin's shutout streak has reached 120:00 since allowing an overtime goal to Philadelphia's Kevin Hayes on Jan. 31. Through five games this season, Sorokin has a 2.19 GAA and a .912 SV%.
• Clutterbuck missed his second-straight game after suffering a first-period injury against Boston on Feb. 25. The winger is day-to-day.
• The Islanders have points in 12 of their last 14 games (8-2-4).
• The Islanders remain the only team in the NHL without a regulation loss at home. The Islanders have earned points in their first nine home games (7-0-2). Their 16 points match the most in the first nine home games in club history.
• The Islanders are currently three games into a stretch of 19 games in 33 days for the first time in franchise history. The team is 2-0-1 so far in this stretch.

DEVILS NOTES:

• With an assist on Maltsev's goal, Pavel Zacha extended his point streak to 10 games with 12 points (4G, 8A) during that stretch. The 23-year-old Czech center also has points in 12 of his last 13 games. Zacha leads the Devils in scoring with 14 points (6G, 8A) through 17 games this season.
• Blackwood missed the game against the Islanders on Jan. 24 due to being listed on the NHL's COVID-19 protocol. Through 10 games this season, the 24-year-old netminder has earned a record of 5-4-1, a 2.58 GAA and a .920 SV%.
• Ty Smith leads the Devils with nine assists season. Smith's nine helpers are also the second-most among rookies in the NHL. The 20-year-old blueliner has 11 points (2G, 9A).
• Miles Wood is tied with Zacha for the team lead in goals with six. The 25-year-old winger has produced 10 points (6G, 4A) through 17 games this season.
• On Feb. 21, Devils defenseman Travis Zajac skated in his 1,000th NHL game. The 35-year-old was drafted by current Islanders President and General Manager Lou Lamoriello in the first round of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft (20th overall).
• New Jersey's penalty kill is ranked the lowest in the league at 31st and with a kill rate of 62.3%
• Newly-appointed Devils' captain Nico Hischier missed the team's game on Feb. 28 against the Capitals. Hischier took a puck to the face from teammate P.K. Subban's shot on Saturday night. Hischier is listed as day-to-day. Prior to leaving Saturday's game, the 22-year-old Swiss center had scored and added an assist in New Jersey's eventual 5-2 loss. Hischier also had scored goals in back-to-back games. Through five games this season, Hischier has totaled three points (2G, 1A).
• The Devils have played the fewest games in the East Division - with 17 - after having to go without games for the first 15 days of February due to a COVID-19 outbreak. The Devils' .471 points percentage ranks sixth in the division.