Game Preview: Islanders vs Ducks

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (13-7-7) VS ANAHEIM DUCKS (10-17-0)

7:30 PM | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS

WATCH: MSGSN2 | MSG+ | ESPN+

LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | 1050AM

The New York Islanders are looking for their fourth straight win, when they host the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday night at UBS Arena, in the fifth of a six-game homestand.

The Islanders bested the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 in overtime on Monday night at UBS Arena for their third consecutive win. Bo Horvat scored 46 seconds into overtime, while Brock Nelson (1G, 1A), Casey Cizikas and Kyle Palmieri (1G, 1A) put up goals in regulation. Auston Matthews, John Tavares (1G, 1A) and Morgan Rielly provided the offense for the Maple Leafs. Ilya Sorokin made 37 saves in the win.

The victory extended their point streak to six games (5-0-1) and Islanders have points in 12 of their last 13 games (8-1-4).

The Ducks are on a three-game losing skid, most recently dropping Sunday’s contest 4-2 to the Winnipeg Jets. Alex Killorn (PPG) and Adam Henrique built a 2-0 lead for the Ducks, but the Jets exploded in the third period with four unanswered goals from Nino Niederreiter, Morgan Barron, Gabriel Vilardi and Mark Scheifele to fuel the comeback win. John Gibson made 27 saves in the loss.

The Ducks have struggled this season, sitting seventh in the Pacific Division. Anaheim has lost 11 of their last 12 games, losing eight in a row, winning one and then dropping the next three.

The Islanders won both games of the season series against the Ducks last year (2-0-0).

MORNING SKATE UPDATES:

- Scott Mayfield is day-to-day with an upper-body injury and will miss Wednesday's game. Head Coach Lane Lambert said this issue was not related to the issue that kept the defenseman out for seven games in October. Grant Hutton was recalled in a corresponding move.

- Sebastian Aho will be a game-time decision, per Lambert. Aho has been out since Nov. 24, but would need to be activated off IR to play.

- Semyon Varlamov was the first goalie off the ice at morning skate. Varlamov is 5-3-1 this season, with a 2.55 GAA, a .925 SV% and two shutouts. Varlamov has won his last three starts.

ISLANDERS NOTES

- The Islanders have picked up seven of a possible eight points through the first four games of their season-long, six-game homestand. Monday’s 4-3 OT win over Toronto improved their home record to 7-3-5 this season.

- Matt Martin was placed on IR with an upper-body injury retroactive to Dec. 2, the team announced on Tuesday morning. Martin was previously on IR from Nov. 15-28 before being activated, though the winger has not seen game action since Nov. 15 in Vancouver.

- Bo Horvat’s overtime goal on Monday marked his first as an Islander and sixth of his career. The 28-year-old center is hot right now riding a seven-game point streak with 11 points (5G, 6A).

- Mathew Barzal fed Horvat for the game-winner against the Leafs, which marked his 12^th career overtime assist. Barzal has 13 points in his last six contests (4G, 9A) and leads the Islanders with 29 points (9G, 20A) this season.

- With a three-point performance (3A) on Monday night, Noah Dobson became the sixth defenseman this season to reach at least 25 points. The 23-year-old is maintaining a point-per-game pace, collecting 27 points (5G, 22A) through 27 games.

- Brock Nelson scored his team-leading 12^th goal of the season and has six points (2G, 4A) in his last five outings.

- Per Islanders team statistician Eric Hornick, the Islanders allowed a third period game-tying goal for the 12th time this season. Monday's 4-3 OT decision marked the Islanders' 17th one-goal game, which is the most in the NHL.

- The Islanders picked up consecutive overtime wins for the first time since Mar. 22 and 25 in 2021.

DUCKS NOTES

- Anaheim kicks off a four-game road trip with a matchup against the Islanders on Wednesday. Through 12 away games this season, the Ducks are 5-7-0.

- The Ducks have been without Trevor Zegras (lower-body) since he was placed on IR retroactive to Nov. 10, but the 22-year-old center took a big step toward returning, practicing with the team for the first time on Saturday. Prior to missing 15 games, Zegras recorded two points (1G, 1A) through 12 games. He put up consecutive 60-point seasons for the Ducks, finishing last year with a career-best 65 points (23G, 42A) through 81 games.

- Frank Vatrano leads the Ducks in goals (14) and points (23) in his second season with the team. He reached a career-high 41 points (22G, 19A) last season. Prior to arriving in Anaheim, the 29-year-old winger played with the Rangers, Panthers and Bruins, recording a career-high 24 goals with the Panthers in the 2018-19 season.

- Ryan Strome leads the team in assists (14) in his second season with the Ducks. The centerman was a first-round draft pick for the Islanders in 2011 (5th overall) and spent four seasons with the team from 2013 to 2017.

- The Ducks claimed Ross Johnston on waivers from the Islanders on Oct. 10. Through 19 games with his new team this season, Johnston recorded two assists. Playing parts of seven seasons with the Islanders prior, the 29-year-old enforcer played 134 career games with New York, accumulating 24 points (9G, 15A) and 283 PIM.

- The Ducks revamped the team’s coaching staff in the offseason, hiring former Islanders Assistant/Associate Coach Greg Cronin. Cronin served as an Islanders Assistant Coach from 1999-2003, Director of Player Development from 2003-05, while also serving as Bridgeport Sound Tigers Head Coach.

After stints at Northeastern and with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Cronin returned to the Islanders in 2014, serving as an Assistant Coach until 2017 before being promoted to Associate Coach in 2017-18. He spent five years as the Head Coach for the AHL’s Colorado Eagles before getting his first Head Coach position in the NHL.

- The Ducks also hired longtime Bridgeport Sound Tigers Head Coach Brent Thompson to serve as an Assistant Coach. Thompson coached in Bridgeport for 10 seasons (2011-12, 2014-23) with two years (2011-13) as a New York Islanders Assistant Coach.

- The Islanders will also get their first look at Leo Carlsson, the second-overall pick from the 2023 NHL Draft. The 6’3, 194 lbs. Swede has 13 points (8G, 5A) in his first 19 NHL games.