Game Preview: Islanders at Kraken

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (7-6-4) AT SEATTLE KRAKEN (8-8-1)

4 PM | CLIMATE PLEDGE ARENA

WATCH: MSGSN | MSG+ | ESPN+

LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | ISLANDERS + UBS ARENA APP

The New York Islanders look to extend their point streak to six games on Saturday, when they take on the Seattle Kraken in matinee action at Climate Pledge Arena.

The Isles are coming off a 5-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night and are 3-0-2 in their last five games.

JG Pageau, Scott Mayfield, Pierre Engvall, Anders Lee (1G, 1A) and Noah Dobson (ENG) scored for the Islanders in the win, while Semyon Varlamov stopped 25 of 27 shots in the win.

They’ll meet a streaking Seattle Kraken team that has won three straight games to return to .500. Most recently the Kraken beat the Chicago Blackhawks 3-1 on Thursday night. Matty Beniers, Jaden Schwartz and Brandon Tanev (ENG) scored for Seattle, while Joey Daccord stopped 18 of 19 shots in the win.

The Isles went 0-0-2 against Seattle last season, dropping both games in a shootout. The Isles are 1-1-1 in three previous trips to the Emerald City.

ISLES NOTES:

- Ilya Sorokin will start in goal for the Islanders on Saturday. Sorokin is 1-0-2 in his last three starts, allowing four goals and losing in overtime in each of his past two games. The 29-year-old is 4-3-3 this season with a 2.66 GAA and a .915 SV%.

Sorokin is 2-1-1 lifetime against Seattle with a 1.48 GAA, a .950 SV% and one shutout. Sorokin’s next win will be his 100^th.

- JG Pageau took a maintenance day during Friday’s practice in Seattle, but is expected to play on Saturday. Pageau has three points (1G, 2A) in his last two games and has six points (4G, 2A) in his last seven games.

- Alexander Romanov shed his non-contact jersey and was a full participant in Friday’s practice, marking another step forward for the blueliner. He’s still considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury and is likely to miss his seventh-straight game.

- Anders Lee has four points (3G, 1A) in his last two games and has 10 points (4G, 6A) in his last seven games – with four multi-point games over that span. Per team statistician Eric Hornick it’s the first time Lee’s had 10 points in a seven-game stretch since March 2022. Lee is sitting on 199 assists.

KRAKEN NOTES:

- Thursday’s win came at a cost, as Kraken captain - and former Islander - Jordan Eberle left the game with a lower-body injury and will not play against the isles on Saturday. Eberle is second on the Kraken in goals (6) and is tied for second in points (11).

- While Eberle is out, Daniel Sprong is expected to be in. Sprong was acquired from the Vancouver Canucks on Nov. 8, but visa issues delayed his ability to come stateside. that has been resolved and Sprong is back in Seattle, where he set career highs with 21 goals and 46 points two years ago.

- Jared McCann leads the Kraken with 20 (8G, 12A) points this season, and has six points (3G, 3A) in his last four games.

- Matty Beniers, the 2021 second-overall pick, has 10 points (4G, 6A) season, while 2022 fourth-overall pick Shane Wright has struggled, with just two points (1G, 1A) in 17 games this season.

- The Kraken have not announced a goalie for Saturday’s game, but Joey Daccord has been good of late, winning his last three starts. Daccord is 7-3-1 this season with a 2.55 GAA and a .918 SV%. Daccord has never played against the Isles.

- The Kraken were busy in the offseason, signing Florida Panthers defenseman Brandon Montour and Vegas Golden Knights center Chandler Stephenson to seven-year deals. Montour has 11 points (4G, 7A) to start the season, while Stephenson has 10 points (1G, 9A).

- Seattle also remade its coaching staff, hiring Dan Bylsma as the team’s second-ever head coach. Bylsma had spent the previous two seasons coaching Seattle’s AHL affiliate in Coachella Valley, taking the Firebirds to the Calder Cup Finals. Bylsma won a Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009 and won a Jack Adams Award in 2011.

The Kraken also hired Jessica Campbell, making her the first female assistant coach in NHL history. Campbell was Bylsma’s assistant in Coachella Valley.