Game Preview: Islanders vs Panthers

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (29-28-8) VS FLORIDA PANTHERS (41-23-3)

7:30 PM | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS

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

The New York Islanders take on the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers at UBS Arena on Sunday night.

The Islanders are coming off a 2-1 OT loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Friday night. Bo Horvat scored the lone goal for New York while Ilya Sorokin made 33 saves in defeat. The overtime loss extended the Isles’ winless skid to three games (0-2-1).

Florida dropped a 3-1 decision to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday in the first half of a back-to-back set. Mackie Samoskevich scored for the Panthers and Sergei Bobrovsky made 12 saves on 15 shots. The Panthers loss hurt the Isles, as the Canadiens (71 points) extended their lead over the Islanders (66 points) to five points in the standings. The Isles have a game in hand on Montreal.

The Islanders were idle on Saturday, but several other teams in the Eastern Conference wild card race were in action. After Saturday night’s results, the Islanders (66 points) trail the New York Rangers (72 points) by six points for the second wild card spot after the Rangers shut out the Columbus Blue Jackets (70 points) with a score of 4-0. The Isles have two games in hand on the Rangers.

The Pittsburgh Penguins (66 points) tied the Islanders in the standings with a 7-3 win over the New Jersey Devils. The Ottawa Senators (77 points), who occupy the first wild card spot, padded their lead with a 4-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Boston Bruins (68 points), who are one of the five teams the Islanders need to leapfrog in order to get into the playoff picture, fell 6-2 to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

SEASON SERIES

The Islanders trail the season series 0-2-0 after a pair of 6-3 losses on Oct. 26 at home and Feb. 2 in Florida.

MORNING SKATE UPDATES

Mike Reilly will make his return to game action for the first time since Nov. 1. He skated on a pair with Scott Mayfield on Sunday morning.

"He's been practicing well lately and he's ready to play," Head Coach Patrick Roy said. "I want him to keep things simple from the start, not trying to do too much. He's a good puck mover, skates well with the puck, these are the things I want to see him do."

Adam Pelech did not participate in morning skate and will miss Sunday's contest against the Panthers. The defenseman blocked an Evan Bouchard one timer in overtime in Friday's 2-1 OT loss to the Edmonton Oilers.

Adam Boqvist joined the team for morning skate on Sunday wearing an orange, non-contact jersey but will not play in their game against the Florida Panthers, per Roy. The defenseman missed one game after he sustained an injury in Tuesday's 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings.

ISLES NOTES

- Captain Anders Lee is sitting at 498 career points, two shy of his milestone 500^th point and one point shy of tying Derek King (499) for 13^th place in franchise history. Lee has two goals in his last four games and leads the team with 25 goals and 45 points.

- Ilya Sorokin played in his 241^st career game on Friday, which ties Kelly Hrudey for fourth in club history among goalies.

- Kyle Palmieri leads the Isles with nine goals in 25 career games against Florida.

- JG Pageau has four points (1G, 3A) in his last four games.

- Pierre Engvall recorded four hits and four shots on goal in a season-high 15:34 TOI on Friday against Edmonton. The winger was elevated to a line with Casey Cizikas and Hudson Fasching.

- The Islanders allowed the opening goal for the 40^th time of the season, which ranks second-most in the NHL behind the Pittsburgh Penguins (41).

- The Islanders power play went 0-for-3 on Friday night against the Oilers and is 4-for-38 (10.5%) over their last 13 games, allowing three shorthanded goals over that span.

PANTHERS NOTES

- With Sergei Bobrovsky getting the start against the Canadiens on Saturday night, Vitek Vanecek is expected to face the Islanders on Sunday. Vanecek made his Panthers debut on March 8, recording a 21-save shutout against the Buffalo Sabres after being dealt to Florida by the San Jose Sharks on Mar. 5. The 29-year-old netminder is 4-10-3 this season along with a 3.66 GAA and a .886 SV% and two shutouts.

- Defenseman Aaron Ekblad has been suspended for 20 games without pay for violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program, the NHL announced on Monday. Ekblad has 33 points (3G, 30A) in 56 games for the Panthers this season.

- The Panthers made a splash at the NHL Trade Deadline, acquiring Brad Marchand from the Boston Bruins in exchange for a conditional second-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. Marchand has yet to make his Panthers debut as the forward sustained an upper-body injury in a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Mar. 1. Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice expects Marchand to return before the end of the regular season.

- The Panthers also acquired Defenseman Seth Jones in exchange for Spencer Knight and a conditional first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Jones has one assist through his first six games with Florida after he collected 27 points (7G, 20A) in 42 games with San Jose.

- Sam Reinhart leads the Panthers in scoring with 32 goals and 70 points this season.

- The Panthers are 7-3-0 since the NHL break for the 4 Nations Face-Off.

- Florida is 19-13-1 on the road this season.