Game Preview: Islanders vs Red Wings

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (4-2-1) AT DETROIT RED WINGS (5-3-1)

7:30 PM | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS

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Fresh off their first road win of the season, the New York Islanders return home to take on the resurgent Detroit Red Wings at UBS Arena (7:30 p.m., MSGSN).

The Isles have won two straight games, most recently beating the Columbus Blue Jackets 2-0 on Saturday night. Paired with a 3-2 win over Ottawa on Thursday, the Isles seek their first three-game winning streak of the season.

It won’t be easy, as the Red Wings retooled over the summer and are averaging 4.00 goals per game, which ranks tied for third in the NHL. Detroit is 5-3-1 out of the gate, thanks in large part to imports like Alex DeBrincat and Shayne Gostisbehere.

The Isles went 2-1-0 last season against Detroit, with the home team earning multi-goal wins in all three games. The Isles have won seven straight home games from the Red Wings (for the first time ever) and are 10-3-1 in the last 14 meetings overall.

ISLANDERS NOTES

• The Islanders picked up their first road win of the season on Saturday in a 2-0 shutout over the Columbus Blue Jackets, improving their away record to 1-1-0.

"All you can do is try to take the momentum from last game and bring it into tonight to have a good evening on the road," Anders Lee said after Saturday's win. "And that was a gritty road game from us tonight. And it'll be nice to get back home from our fans on Monday."

• Kyle Palmieri scored the game-winner on Saturday against Columbus, earning his seventh point (3G, 4A) of the season in the process. Palmieri’s three goals ties him for the team lead with Bo Horvat and Brock Nelson, while his seven points tie him with Noah Dobson for the team lead. Per team statistician Eric Hornick, Palmieri has had only one season (2018-19) where he had more than seven points through his team’s first seven games.

• Semyon Varlamov stopped all 34 shots in Saturday’s shutout, picking up his first win and first shutout of the season. He earned his 39th career shutout and 14th as an Islander, tying Tommy Salo for the fifth most in franchise history. According to NHL Public Relations, the Islanders are the first team of the 2023-24 season to have multiple goaltenders record a shutout.

• Mathew Barzal and Noah Dobson saw their five game point streaks come to an end, one goal and four assists, and two goals and five assists, respectively.

• Per Hornick, the Isles have outscored their opponents 7-3 in the first period (the three goals allowed is tied for the fewest in the NHL) and have scored the first goal in five of their seven games. The Isles are 4-0-1 when scoring first.

• The Islanders went 2-1-0 against the Detroit Red Wings last season. Anders Lee potted a pair of goals in a 4-1 win on Mar. 4 and a goal in a 2-0 shutout win on Jan. 27. The captain has a resume of 23 points (12G, 11A) through 24 career games played against Detroit.

• Casey Cizikas is expected to play his 753rd game on Monday, which would move him into sole possession of ninth place on the Islanders' all-time games played list.

RED WINGS NOTES:

•    The Red Wings are 0-2-1 in their last three games, losing 5-4 in OT to Seattle last Tuesday, before falling 4-1 to Winnipeg and Boston on Thursday and Saturday, respectively. The three-game winless streak comes on the heels of a five-game winning streak for the Red Wings.

•    Captain Dylan Larkin leads the Red Wings with 15 points (4G, 11A) in nine games. Larkin’s 15 points are second in NHL scoring, trailing only New Jersey’s Jack Hughes. Larkin’s eight-game point streak came to an end on Saturday in Boston. Larkin signed an eight-year contract extension with Detroit in the offseason to remain with the only team he’s ever known.

•    Alex DeBrincat is thriving in his first season with the Red Wings, leading the team with nine goals in nine games. DeBrincat’s 13 points are currently tied for third in NHL scoring. 

The Farmington Hills, MI native was acquired from Ottawa in the offseason for Dominik Kubalik, Donovan Sebrango, a conditional 2024 first-round pick and a 2024 fourth-round pick. DeBrincat was subsequently signed to a four-year deal.

•    Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere has nine points (3G, 6A) in nine games with his new club. Gostisbehere started last season with the Arizona Coyotes and was later traded to the Carolina Hurricanes. The offensive defenseman recorded 92 points (27G, 65A) from 2021-23, tying new-teammate Moritz Seider for 28th in the NHL over that span. Since entering the league full-time in 2015, Gostisbehere’s 320 points are 16th among blueliners. 

•    The Red Wings have 12 power-play goals in nine games to start the season, which ranks second in the NHL behind New Jersey (14). Detroit’s power play is converting at a 34.3% rate, good for third behind New Jersey (42.4%) and the New York Rangers (34.5%).