Game Preview: Islanders vs Bruins

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (8-9-5) VS BOSTON BRUINS (10-10-3)

7:30 PM | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS

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THANKSGIVING FOOD DRIVE AT UBS ARENA

The New York Islanders host the Boston Bruins on Wednesday night, the final game for both teams before Thanksgiving.

The Islanders are looking to turn the page after a 4-2 loss at the hands of the Detroit Red Wings on Monday, a loss that saw the Isles get swept in the season series (0-3-0). Anders Lee and Kyle Palmieri scored for the Islanders, but Detroit posted a three-goal third period – including an empty netter – to complete the comeback. Semyon Varlamov made 17 saves in the loss.

The defeat ended their three-game point streak on home ice (2-0-1), and the Islanders are 1-3-1 in their last five games overall. Head Coach Patrick Roy is adamant that his team is playing well, but the team isn’t getting the results they deserve.

"We could feel sorry for ourselves, but [we have to] roll up our sleeves and get ready for that next game," Roy said after the loss. "That's the approach we need to have. We need to believe in what we're doing and what we're doing is the right thing.

The Bruins will face the Isles in the second half of a back-to-back set, as they were shut out 2-0 by the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night. Former Bruin Jake DeBrusk (GWG) scored at the 5:43 mark of the middle frame and Conor Garland buried an empty net goal to secure the win for Vancouver. The Bruins outshot the Canucks 32-15 in the loss.

ISLES NOTES

- The Islanders held a third period lead in their last six matchups but have let it slip in four of them, going 2-3-1 over that span. The final frame has been an issue for the Isles, as their 33 goals allowed in third periods this season are the most in the NHL.

- Kyle Palmieri netted his team-leading 10^th goal of the season on Monday. He also leads the Isles in scoring with 19 points. Palmieri has 18 points (13G, 5A) in 33 career appearances against the Bruins, including a hat trick in the Islanders’ last game against the Bruins on March 2nd.

- Isaiah George recorded his first NHL point in his 10^th game with the Islanders. The 20-year-old has averaged 19:29 TOI and accumulated eight shots in his first 10 NHL games, along with 12 blocked shots and two hits.

- Brock Nelson is climbing the leaderboard in Isles franchise history, as he passed John Tonelli for sole possession of ninth on the all-time list in scoring with his 545th career point on Monday.

- Noah Dobson notched his 200^th career point on Monday and became the seventh defenseman in Isles history to do so.

- The Islanders have the best FOW% in the league (56.3%) after they went 67.5% at the dot on Monday.

BRUINS NOTES

- Joonas Korpisalo is the expected starting netminder for the Bruins after Jeremy Swayman got the start for Boston in Tuesday’s tilt against the Canucks in the first half of the back-to-back set. Korpisalo has a 4-2-1 record this season with a 2.38 GAA and a .911 SV%.

- The Bruins relieved Head Coach Jim Montgomery from his head coaching duties on Nov. 19 after the team went 9-9-3 in their first 21 games. He was picked up rather quickly, as the Blues hired Montgomery as head coach on Monday, replacing Drew Bannister. Montgomery won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s coach of the year in 2022-23 with Boston.

- In wake of Montgomery’s departure, Joe Sacco was named interim head coach. He’s 2-1-0 in his first three games, his first as an NHL head coach since a four-year stint with the Colorado Avalanche from 2009-13. Islanders Head Coach Patrick Roy replaced Joe Sacco as head coach of the Avalanche in 2013.

- Boston has seen a significant decline on the man advantage this season, as their power play ranks 31^st in the NHL (12.8%). Their offense has struggled overall, as they average the fewest goals in the league (2.22 GF/GP).

- The Bruins inked Elias Lindholm to a seven-year deal in the offseason. The centerman has 10 points (3G, 7A) in his first 22 games as a Bruin. Nikita Zadorov also came over from the Canucks, signing a six-year deal with the Bruins. The 29-year-old defenseman has five assists through 23 games this season.

- The Bruins parted ways with Jake Debrusk during the offseason, as the Canucks signed the forward to a seven-year deal. The 27-year-old, who was drafted 14th overall by the Bruins in the 2015 NHL Draft, recorded 266 points in 465 career games with Boston. DeBrusk faced his former team for the first time of Tuesday, netting the first goal of the game that held up as the game-winner.

- Defenseman Matt Grzelcyk also departed the Bruins after nine seasons with the club. Grzelcyk recorded 143 points (25G,118A) in 468 games with the Bruins.

- Hampus Lindholm (lower body, week to week) will not face the Islanders on Wednesday, as the 30-year-old defenseman was injured after blocking a shot in a 3-2 win over the St. Louis Blues on Nov. 12. He has seven points (3G, 4A) in 17 games this season.