Game Preview: Islanders vs Panthers 

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (3-2-2) VS FLORIDA PANTHERS (5-3-1)

7:30 PM | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS

WATCH: MSGSN | MSG+ | ESPN+

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

Fresh off a 4-3 OT win over the New Jersey Devils on Friday night, the New York Islanders are back in action on Saturday night when they host the reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers at UBS Arena.

Bo Horvat scored the OT winner at 1:09 of the extra frame, while Brock Nelson (1G, 1A), Kyle Palmieri (1G, 1A) and Anders Lee (PPG) scored for the Islanders, who allowed the tying goal with 1:29 to play before rebounding in overtime.

Saturday concludes the Islanders’ first back-to-back set of the season. The Islanders went 1-6-3 in the back half of back-to-backs last season.

The Panthers captured the franchise’s first Stanley Cup last season and their title defense is off to a good start with two wins over Boston, a win over Vegas and most recently a 3-1 win over the New York Rangers on Thursday night.

Despite Florida appearing in back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals, the Islanders have picked up points in four straight games against the Cats, going 3-0-1 in that span.

UPDATES

- The New York Islanders made a series of transactions on Saturday afternoon.

- Anthony Duclair (lower body) was placed on LTIR (Long Term Injured Reserve) retroactive to Oct. 19. Duclair is expected to miss four-to-six weeks with a lower-body injury.

- Liam Foudy was loaned to Bridgeport after a two-game stint with the Islanders, while Pierre Engvall and Hudson Fasching were recalled from loan. Fasching recorded a pair of points (1G, 1A) in five games in Bridgeport, while Engvall recorded one goal in six games.

- Matt Martin also signed a one-year deal, the club announced Saturday.

- Alexander Romanov (upper-body, day to day) will miss Saturday's contest against the Panthers. The 24-year-old blueliner recorded two assists, 14 hits and 19 blocked shots through the first seven games of the season.

- Dennis Cholowski is expected to draw into the lineup. The 26-year-old defenseman played two games with the Islanders in the 2022-23 season, but Saturday will mark his season debut. Cholowski recorded 31 points (7G, 24A) in 68 games for Bridgeport in the 2023-24 campaign.

ISLANDERS NOTES:

- Semyon Varlamov is expected to start on Saturday night. Varlamov is 2-1-1 in five games against the Panthers since joining the Isles in 2019 with a 2.53 GAA and a .922 SV% over that span. Varlamov is 1-1-1 this season overall, with a 3.27 GAA and an .868 SV%.

- The Islanders penalty kill went 2-for-2 on Friday. New York has been the NHL's most disciplined team, only going shorthanded 11 times through its first seven games.

- The Islanders have allowed a tying goal with under 2:30 to play in the third period three times this season, including in Friday's OT win over New Jersey. The Islanders are 2-0-1 in those three contests.

- Nelson (3G, 2A), Palmieri (3G, 2A) and Noah Dobson (5A) are both tied for the team lead with five points each. Nelson, Palmieri, Horvat and Lee are all tied for the team lead in goals with three.

- After recording a game-high six shots on goal in New Jersey, Lee leads the Islanders with 31 shots this season.

- Alexander Romanov leads the Islanders with 19 blocked shots.

- Max Tsyplakov leads the Islanders with 19 hits.

PANTHERS NOTES:

- Aleksander Barkov has been sidelined since Oct. 8 with a lower-body injury, but is nearing a return to action. Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice said Barkov could possibly play on Saturday, but is more likely to return on Monday. Barkov has one assist through two games this season prior to his injury and is one of the game’s two-way players, with 712 points (266G, 446A) in 739 games to go along with his two Selke Trophies.

- Sam Reinhart leads the Panthers with 13 points (5G, 8A) in nine games this season. Reinhart has points in seven of the Panthers nine games this season. Last season Reinhart scored a career-high 57 goals and compiled a career-high 94 points. Reinhart’s 27 power-play goals last season led the league.

- Sam Bennett’s six goals lead the Panthers and his nine points are tied for second with Anton Lundell.

- Sergei Bobrovsky is 4-2-1 to start the season with a 3.11 GAA and an .886 SV%. Bobrovsky stopped 24-of-25 shots in a 3-1 win over the New York Rangers on Thursday. That win was the 400^th of Bobrovsky’s career, as he became the fastest goaltender to win 400 games in NHL history.