Game Preview: Islanders at Oilers

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (6-6-3) AT EDMONTON OILERS (7-7-1)

9 PM EST | ROGERS PLACE

WATCH: MSGSN | MSG+ | ESPN+

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

The New York Islanders are facing off against the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night in the first of a five-game road trip that sees four Pacific Division teams and a trip to Detroit to close it out.

The Islanders are coming off a 4-3 overtime defeat to the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night at UBS Arena. Simon Holmstrom, Dennis Cholowski and Brock Nelson scored for the Islanders, but the Devils battled back with two third period goals to tie the game with Jack Hughes scoring the overtime goal. Ilya Sorokin stopped 29 of 33 shots in the loss.

The Isles’ attention is turned toward kicking off the season-long road trip on a high note.

“It’s a long trip and we want to get off on the right foot and have a big game tomorrow,” Brock Nelson said. “One day, one game at a time and we want to come out on the right side of it.”

The Oilers are feeling good after a 7-3 win over a divisional rival in the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday. Connor McDavid (1G, 2A) and Mattias Janmark (3A) had three-point games, while Connor Brown (2G), Leon Draisaitl, Corey Perry, Viktor Arvidsson and Brett Kulak scored in the victory.

SEASON SERIES & STATS

Last year the Islanders split the season series with the Oilers (1-1-0). After Tuesday’s tilt in Edmonton, the Oilers will visit the Islanders on March 14^th at UBS Arena.

Both teams are struggling on special teams so far this season. The Islanders’ power play (13.0%) ranks 28^th in the NHL and the Oilers’ power play (15.8%) ranks 25^th, while New York’s penalty kill (65.6%) is 28^th in the league and Edmonton’s shorthanded unit (59.0%) is 32^nd. Both teams are strong in the dot this season, as the Islanders’ faceoff percentage (55.3%) leads the NHL while the Oilers (53.6%) are not too far behind at fifth in the league.

ISLES NOTES

- Alexander Romanov joined the team for practice in Edmonton on Monday afternoon, but the defenseman wore a non-contact jersey. Romanov missed seven of the last eight games.

- Dennis Cholowski scored his second goal of the season on Saturday and is the only defenseman to score a goal for the Isles this season.

- Simon Holmstrom has two goals in his last three games and five points (2G, 3A) over his past five games

- Matt Martin has been making important contributions in his last two outings providing leadership - as well as a key assist on a game-winning goal in Ottawa - on a line with Oliver Wahlstrom and Kyle MacLean.

“When I say leadership, I think he helps [Wahlstrom] and [MacLean] on the ice, he’s really smart,” Roy said of Martin. “In Ottawa, he’s the one that created that forecheck to open up [Wahlstrom] for that shot and last game, same thing, he does a lot of good things and he accepts his role.”

- Isaiah George played a career-high 24:07 TOI in his third NHL game, skating over 23 minutes for the second straight contest.

- Kyle Palmieri is tied with Brock Nelson for the team lead in goals (6) and is tied with Bo Horvat for a team-high 12 points.

- Max Tysplakov’s 45 hits lead the Islanders through 15 games, as well as all NHL rookies. Head Coach Patrick Roy said he saw physicality and strong puck possession in the forward before he joined the Isles.

“I’m not surprised, no,” Roy said. “That’s why we think he can play on top lines for us right away. At 26, he’s ready to play.”

- Anders Lee leads the team with seven goals and 10 points against the Oilers.

OILERS NOTES

- Connor McDavid suffered a lower-body in a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 28 - and although he was expected to miss 2-3 weeks - he made his return ahead of schedule, skating in Wednesday’s 4-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. The captain is on the cusp of history, as he needs five more points to hit 1,000 in his career. He’d become the 99^th player in NHL history and fourth in franchise history to accomplish the feat.

- Leon Draisaitl leads the team with 18 points and his 10 goals this season tie for second-most in the NHL. The forward signed an eight-year contract extension (14 million AAV) set to begin in the 2025-26 campaign.

- Evan Bouchard is coming off a career-year where he posted 82 points (18G, 64A) and a plus-34, shattering career highs across the board. The 25-year-old defenseman, who was drafted 10th overall by the Oilers in 2018, hasn't found the same offensive success yet this year, with seven points (3G, 4A) in his first 15 games.

- The Oilers have struggled at home this season, going 2-5-1 in their first eight games at Rogers Place.