Game Preview: Islanders at Lightning

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (23-20-7) AT TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING (27-20-3)

7 PM | AMALIE ARENA

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The New York Islanders are in the sunshine state to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night in the first half of a back-to-back set that also sees the Florida Panthers on Sunday.

The Islanders put out a dominant performance against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night, as their 3-0 victory extended their season-long winning streak to six games. Simon Holmstrom, Marc Gatcomb and Kyle Palmieri scored for the Islanders, while Ilya Sorokin earned his third shutout of the season with a 23-save performance. In a defensive clinic, the whole team was committed, limiting the Flyers to 23 shots while the PK went 3-for-3.

“Everyone's part of it right now,” Head Coach Patrick Roy said after Thursday’s win. “It’s a solid team effort.”

The Lightning are coming off a 3-0 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night. Brandon Hagel stole the show with a three-point performance (2G, 1A) and Anthony Cirelli sealed the deal with a shorthanded empty-net goal. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 28 saves in a win that snapped a two-game losing streak for the Lightning.

SEASON SERIES

The Islanders went 1-2-0 against Tampa Bay last season and they’re 2-8-0 against the Lightning in their last 10 games. The Isles have struggled on the road against the Lightning recently, as they have lost five straight games in Tampa and haven’t won at Amalie Arena since a 5-1 victory on Dec. 9, 2019.

MORNING SKATE UPDATES

Anthony Duclair (illness) is expected to miss Saturday's contest against the Lightning. Pierre Engvall is expected to draw back into the lineup in his place after he was a healthy scratch for two games.

Ilya Sorokin will start between the pipes for New York. The Russian netminder has won seven of his last eight games, with a .938 SV% and 12 goals allowed over that span.

Andrei Vasilevskiy will get the start for Tampa. The netminder is 21-15-2 this season with a 2.28 GAA and a .919 SV% and three shutouts. Against the Islanders, Vasilevskiy is 13-4-0 lifetime with a .927 SV% and a 2.04 GAA and three career shutouts.

ISLES NOTES

- The Islanders added reinforcement to their blue line on Friday afternoon, claiming Adam Boqvist off waivers from the Panthers. The 24-year-old, right-handed shot has six points (2G, 4A) through 18 games played the Panthers this season. The 2018 first-round pick (8^th overall) has played six NHL seasons with the Panthers, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Chicago Blackhawks, totaling 91 points (25 goals and 66 assists) over 227 games.

- Isaiah George was returned to Bridgeport on loan in a corresponding move.

- The Islanders are three games over NHL-.500 for the first time this season. They’re in the mix in the tight Eastern Conference standings with 53 points, four points behind the Lightning (57 points) and Columbus Blue Jackets (57 points) for the top two wild card spots, though the Boston Bruins (56 points) and the Detroit Red Wings (55 points) stand in the Isles’ way.

- Simon Holmstrom scored for the third time in his last two games. The Swedish winger has been hot since his return to the lineup after a seven-game absence, with five points (4G, 1A) in his last six games since returning from injury.

- Marc Gatcomb recorded his first goal and point on Thursday in his seventh career NHL game. He became the third Islanders rookie to score their first goal this season, after Max Tsyplakov (Oct. 10 vs UTA) and Isaiah George (Dec. 21 at TOR).

"It's definitely something you dream of your whole life, so it's special," Gatcomb said. "Definitely super excited to get that one and, most importantly, a huge win."

- Kyle Palmieri ended a 14-game goal drought with a tally against the Flyers. He has 13 goals and 33 points through 50 games this season.

- Scott Perunovich has assists in his first two games with the Islanders. Per Islanders team statistician Eric Hornick, Perunovich is the first Islanders player to tally assists in his first two games since Johnny Boychuk (2014).

- The Islanders have turned a corner since the year flipped to 2025. Since Jan. 1, their penalty kill (91.3%) ranks first in the NHL and their 1.75 GA/GP is also best in the league. The Isles completed the month with a points percentage of .750, which ranks third in the NHL. Per Hornick, the Islanders’ record of 9-3-0 is their best January since the 1982-83 Islanders posted a record of 9-2-1.

- The Islanders are 4-1-1 on the front end of back-to-back sets this season.

LIGHTNING NOTES

- The Lightning host the Islanders in the third game of a five-game homestand. Tampa Bay has been hot at home this season, with a 16-7-1 record. Their PK on home ice is 85.3%.

- Tampa Bay occupies the first card spot in the Eastern Conference with 57 points.

- Andrei Vasilevskiy missed Tuesday’s tilt with an illness but came back strong on Thursday, posting a 3-0 shutout with 28 saves in his return. Against the Islanders, Vasilevskiy is 13-4-0 lifetime with a .927 SV% and a 2.04 GAA and three shutouts.

- Over the offseason, the Lightning parted ways with captain Steven Stamkos, who signed a four-year deal with the Nashville Predators. Stamkos spent 16 seasons with the team and is the franchise leader in games played (1,082), goals (555) and points (1,137). He was named captain in 2014.

- Jake Guentzel has 50 points (25G, 25A) in his first season with the Lightning after he signed a seven-year deal on July 1.

- Nikita Kucherov leads the Lightning in scoring with 75 points. The forward towered the NHL standings last season with 144 points through 81 games, which set career highs in goals (44) and assists (100).

- Brayden Point leads the Lightning with 28 goals.

- Tampa Bay’s 3.48 GF/GP ranks third in the NHL while their penalty kill of 81.5% is good for fifth.