Game Preview: Islanders at Panthers

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (24-20-7) AT FLORIDA PANTHERS (31-19-3)

6 PM | AMERANT BANK ARENA

WATCH: MSGSN | MSG+ | ESPN+

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

The New York Islanders look for an eighth-straight win when they take on the Florida Panthers on Sunday night at Amerant Bank Arena.

The Isles extended their streak to seven games with a 3-2 OT win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night. Tony DeAngelo scored the OT winner off a home-run pass from Bo Horvat, while Kyle Palmieri and Adam Boqvist – who was playing in his first game with the team – scored in regulation.

With the win, the Islanders (55 points) are three points back of the Lightning (58 points) for the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Panthers are also playing the second half of a back-to-back set after beating the Chicago Blackhawks 5-1 on Saturday afternoon. Sam Reinhart led the way with a three-point game (1G, 2A).

Florida sits atop the Atlantic Division with 65 points and have won two straight games entering Sunday.

SEASON SERIES:

The Islanders trail the season series 0-1-0 after falling 6-3 at UBS Arena on Oct. 26. The Islanders jumped out to a 3-0 lead in that game, but the Panthers roared back with six unanswered goals.

ISLES NOTES:

- The Islanders have won two straight games at Amerant Bank Arena. Overall the Isles are 6-4-0 in their last 10 trips to South Florida.

- Jakub Skarek is expected to make his NHL debut on Sunday evening, Head Coach Patrick Roy announced after Saturday’s win. The 2018 third-round pick (72^nd overall) has appeared in 159 games with the Bridgeport Islanders, recording a 49-82-17 record with a 3.30 GAA, a .892 SV% and five shutouts. Skarek is 5-11-1 this season in Bridgeport with a 3.22 GAA and a .895 SV%.

- Anthony Duclair missed Saturday’s game with an illness. Check back closer to game time for his status for Sunday’s contest. Pierre Engvall drew into the lineup for Duclair on Saturday while Max Tsyplakov filled into Duclair’s spot alongside Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri.

- Scott Mayfield and Mathew Barzal both left Saturday’s game and did not return. Mayfield left after the second period, while Barzal left late in the game after blocking a shot in the final two minutes of the third period. Roy did not have updates on either player postgame.

- Kyle Palmieri has goals in back-to-back games after scoring on Saturday night. Palmieri’s two-game goal streak comes on the heels of a 14-game goal drought for the Islanders winger.

- The Islanders went three-for-three on the penalty kill on Saturday and are now 24-for-26 (92.3%) in 2025, which leads the league over that span.

- The Islanders three new defensemen all have points with the team. DeAngelo has two points (1G, 1A) in four games, Scott Perunovich has two assists in three games and Boqvist scored in his first game with the Islanders.

- Simon Holmstrom has six points (3G, 3A) during a three-game point streak.

PANTHERS NOTES:

- Spencer Knight is expected to start in goal for the Panthers, as Sergei Bobrovsky picked up the win on Saturday afternoon. Knight is 9-8-1 this season with a 2.47 GAA, a .905 SV% and two shutouts.

- Forward Jonah Gadjovich returned to the Panthers’ lineup on Saturday after missing more than a month with an undisclosed injury. Gadjovich made an immediate impact, scoring in the first period.

- Sam Reinhart leads the Panthers with 30 goals and 57 points this season. Reinhart netted his 30^th goal on Saturday, part of a three-point game (1G, 2A) against the Blackhawks. It marks the fourth-straight 30-goal season for Reinhart, who scored a career-high 57 goals last season. Reinhart’s 30 goals are tied for third in the NHL.

- Matthew Tkachuk is heating up, with seven points (3G, 4A) in his last four games, including a pair of three-point outings. Tkachuk has goals in back-to-back games and has 48 points (17G, 31A) in 48 games this season, good for second on the Panthers.

- Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice recorded his 900^th NHL win on Saturday, becoming one of just four coaches in league history to hit that number.