Game Preview: Islanders vs Kraken

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (9-10-7) VS SEATTLE KRAKEN (12-13-1)

7:30 PM | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS

WATCH: ESPN+ | HULU

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

The New York Islanders are back home to take on the Seattle Kraken on Thursday at UBS Arena, looking to extend their three-game point streak (1-0-2).

The Islanders are coming off a 2-1 OT loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night at Centre Bell. Anders Lee scored the lone goal for the Isles while Ilya Sorokin made 25 of 27 saves. The overtime loss marked their sixth loss at three-on-three this season for the Islanders and 10th contest beyond 60 minutes this season.

“We talk about it all the time, we play a lot of hockey here," said Lee. "Let’s get back at it, get home in our building and take advantage of being at home for a few days and play some good hockey.”

The Kraken are coming off a 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night. Jaden Schwartz (1G, 1A), Yanni Gourde (1G, 1A), Brandon Tanev and Eeli Tolvanen lit the lamp for Seattle while Joey Daccord made a 17-save effort in the win.

SEASON SERIES

The Isles trail the season series 0-0-1 after a 3-2 loss in Seattle on Nov. 16. New York is winless in its last three matchups against Seattle (0-1-2) and are 1-1-1 at home and 2-3-2 all-time against the Kraken.

MORNING SKATE UPDATES

- Pierre Engvall returns to the lineup after missing two games as a healthy scratch. Engvall will be reunited with Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri, who he predominantly played with last season. Head Coach Patrick Roy said he wants to see the big Swede drive the net.

"I told him that I want him to be around the net. I want him to drive that net," Roy said. I was very clear on what we wants and I want to give him a fair shot there. It's in his hands."

- With Engvall elevating, Max Tsyplakov will skate on a line with JG Pageau and Oliver Wahlstrom. Matt Martin will come out of the lineup.

- Semyon Varlamov is considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury, so Marcus Hogberg was an emergency recall from Bridgeport and is expected to back up Ilya Sorokin.

- Adam Pelech participated in morning skate, marking his first team skate since suffering an upper-body injury on Nov. 1 against Buffalo.

ISLES NOTES

- Lee has four goals in his last five games. His active three-game goal streak is his longest since March 7-11, 2022. The captain took the team lead in goals (11) and is tied with Kyle Palmieri for the lead in points (20).

- Palmieri needs one more point for the 500th of his career.

- Ryan Pulock is one point shy of his 200th career point.

- The Islanders are 4-5-2 on home ice this season and are 2-2-1 in their last five games at UBS Arena.

- Bo Horvat’s goalless drought was extended to 12 games on Tuesday, which is his longest drought since a 17-game stretch in the 2016-17 campaign where he did not find a goal (Mar. 7 – Apr. 9).

“Bo is putting too much pressure on himself to score goals, right now it’s his main focus,” Head Coach Patrick Roy said. “Bo is a 200-foot player, he’s a guy that gets chances and he will get those goals. He should just keep playing his game and [the goals] will come.”

- The Islanders announced on Wednesday that Brock Nelson will represent Team USA at this year’s 4 Nations Face-Off in February.

The Islanders forward has 17 points (10G, 7A) through 26 games this season. Through 866 games with the Islanders, Nelson has recorded 548 points (285G, 263A), ranking ninth all-time in team history. His 866 games are sixth all-time on the franchise list. Nelson is seventh in goals and 13th in total points among active American players.

KRAKEN NOTES

- Seattle’s 4-2 win snapped a three-game losing streak with their win over Carolina. Prior to the win, Seattle fell 5-2 to the Anaheim Ducks a week ago, and were outscored 12-7 in a back-to-back, home-and-home set against the San Jose Sharks.

- Defenseman Vince Dunn made his return to the lineup on Saturday against the Sharks after he was sidelined for 19 games with a mid-body injury. He recorded an assist in Tuesday’s 4-2 win. Through six games played this season, Dunn has recorded four points (1G, 3A).

- Ryker Evans (day to day, upper body) missed Tuesday’s contest against the Hurricanes and his status against the Islanders is in question. The 22-year-old defenseman sustained an injury when he blocked a shot in Saturday’s 4-2 defeat to the Sharks. Evans, who the Kraken drafted in the second round of the 2021 NHL Draft (35th overall), is tied with Jaden Schwartz and Chandler Stephenson for third on the team in scoring with 16 points.

- Former Islander Jordan Eberle has been out with a lower-body injury since Nov. 14, missing the first meeting of the season series against the Islanders. Daniel Sprong, who replaced Eberle in the lineup, has four points in 15 games (2G, 2A) since he was acquired from the Vancouver Canucks on Nov. 8.

- Seattle’s power play ranks 30th in the NHL (14.6%).