Game Preview: Islanders at Red Wings

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (7-7-5) AT DETROIT RED WINGS (7-9-2)

7 PM | LITTLE CARSARS ARENA

WATCH: MSGSN | MSG+ | ESPN+

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

After completing the Western Conference portion of their season-long five-game trip, the New York Islanders will make a pit stop in the Motor City to take on the Detroit Red Wings before heading home.

The Isles are 1-1-2 through the first four games of the road trip, most recently falling 2-1 in a shootout to the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night. Pierre Engvall scored the lone goal for the Isles in the shootout loss.

Thursday’s game also ends a road-heavy stretch for the Islanders that will see them play nine of 11 games away from UBS Arena.

The Red Wings are also coming off an extra time loss, as they fell 5-4 in OT to the San Jose Sharks on Monday. Dylan Larkin (1G, 1A), Michael Rasmussen, Marco Kasper and Alex DeBrincat scored for Detroit.

The Red Wings are on a three-game winless skid (0-2-1), where they have been outscored 15-9, and are 1-4-1 in their last six games and are in a three-way tie with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Montreal Canadiens for the fewest points (16) in the Eastern Conference.

SEASON SERIES

The Islanders were shut out by the Red Wings 1-0 in the team’s first meeting of the season on Oct. 22. Alex Lyon recorded 30 saves for the shutout, while Patrick Kane scored the lone goal for Detroit, as the Islanders limited the Red Wings to 11 shots in the contest.

The teams will wrap up the season series on Monday at UBS Arena.

ISLES NOTES

- Alexander Romanov returned to the lineup on Tuesday after missing seven straight games with an upper-body injury. Romanov had a game-high eight hits – which was one off his career-high – and three blocked shots in 21:04 TOI. Romanov’s next game will be the 300^th of his NHL career.

- Pierre Engvall is riding a three-game goal streak, matching his career-long, which he’d accomplished three times previously, most recently from March 11-15, 2023.

- The Islanders have played 82 one-goal games since the start of the 2022-23 season, which leads the NHL over that span. The Isles are 40-12-30 in those games.

- The Islanders allowed a tying goal for the seventh time this season and are 2-2-3 in those games.

- Brock Nelson’s next assist will be his 260^th, breaking a tie with Billy Harris for sole possession of 16^th on the Islanders’ all-time list. Anders Lee’s next assist will be his 200^th. Noah Dobson’s next point will be the 200^th of his NHL career.

- Nelson leads all current Islanders with 16 goals and 26 points in 30 games against the Red Wings. Lee is second with 12 goals and 24 points in 28 games.

RED WINGS NOTES

- Alex DeBrincat and Lucas Raymond are tied for the team lead with 17 points each. Raymond leads the team with 15 assists, while Dylan Larkin leads the team with 11 goals.

- DeBrincat is riding a four-game point streak, with five points (2G, 3A) over that span. Vladimir Tarasenko is riding a four-game assist streak. Tarasenko has seven assists in 17 games this season.

- The Red Wings own the NHL’s third-ranked power play, converting at 32%. Detroit’s power play is 6-for-9 (66%) in the past four games and has scored multiple man advantage goals five times this season.

- Alex Lyon is the expected starter for the Red Wings on Thursday, per Daniella Bruce. Lyon recorded a 30-save shutout against the Isles on Oct. 22, but has lost three straight starts since then, allowing four-or-more goals in each contest. Lyon is 2-4-0 this season with a 3.14 GAA, a .903 SV% and one shutout.

- Marco Kasper, the eighth-overall pick in 2022, is expected to start Thursday’s game on a line with DeBrincat and Patrick Kane, per Ansar Khan. Kasper has three points (2G, 1A) in his last three games, which mark his first points since opening night.