Game Preview: Islanders vs Red Wings

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (26-23-6) VS DETROIT RED WINGS (21-23-8)
7 P.M. BARCLAYS CENTER - BUY TICKETS
TV: MSG+, MSG GO
RADIO: 88.7FM - WRHU, 101.9FM/660AM - WFAN
The Islanders addressed an issue on Thursday by holding the Buffalo Sabres to 22 shots - their fewest allowed in 21 games - but it didn't translate into a win.
"It's very frustrating. We cleaned it up and played hard," Head Coach Doug Weight said. "We gave up 20 shots, probably six chances, got the puck in… We deserved better. It's one of those games."

They'll get a chance at redemption right away, as they complete a back-to-back set at home against the Detroit Red Wings on Friday.
"We can bounce back tomorrow," Ross Johnston said after Thursday's game. "If we bring that same effort and same intensity, I like our odds. If we play that way and stick to the game plan, we'll start to get some results here."
The Islanders (58 points) will be doing a bit of scoreboard watching on Friday as well, as Columbus (58 points) takes on Washington, the Rangers (55 points) take on Calgary and Carolina (57 points) host Vancouver. As has been the case of late, every game for the Islanders is big and Friday is no exception.

LINEUP NOTES:

UPDATE: Thomas Greiss will start in goal. Seven defensemen will take warmups, while the Islanders go with the same skaters from Thursday. Anders Lee may return to the top line with John Tavares and Josh Bailey.
Johnny Boychuk was activated off injured reserve on Friday afternoon and is likely to return to action against the Red Wings. Boychuk had missed 18 games with a lower-body injury.
ISLANDERS PROJECTED LINES:
| FORWARDS | | --- | | LEFT WING | CENTER | RIGHT WING | | ANDERS LEE | JOHN TAVARES | JOSH BAILEY | | ANTHONY BEAUVILLIER | MATHEW BARZAL | JORDAN EBERLE | | ANDREW LADD | BROCK NELSON | CAL CLUTTERBUCK | | ROSS JOHNSTON | CASEY CIZIKAS | JASON CHIMERA |

SEASON SERIES:

The Islanders are 0-1-0 against the Red Wings this season, dropping their first meeting this season 6-3 at Barclays Center on Dec. 19. The Islanders led 3-2 in the second period of that contest, but the Red Wings scored four unanswered goals to take over the game.
The Isles are 2-4-1 in their last 7 games against Detroit.

BY THE NUMBERS:

3 - straight games with a power-play goal.The Islanders are 3-for-9 with the man advantage over that span.
28 - goals for John Tavares and Anders Lee. Tavares and Lee are tied for fourth in the NHL in goals.
Power Play: Islanders 20.6% - 14th, Red Wings 18.6% - 21st
Penalty Kill: Islanders 73.9% - 30th, Red Wings 80% - 17th

THE RED WINGS:

Last Game: L 3-2 vs Boston
Leading Scorers:Goals: Anthony Mantha - 16
Assists: Dylan Larkin - 31
Points: Dylan Larkin - 39
The Red Wings are fighting to stay in the East playoff picture, as they're eight points behind the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second wild card. Detroit would have to leapfrog Florida, the Rangers, Carolina and the Islanders to get to Columbus, so Friday's game is a must-win.
The Red Wings enter Friday's contest on a two-game losing streak and are 4-5-1 in their last 10 games.
Dylan Larkin leads the Red Wings in assists (31) and points (39), but offense hasn't been Detroit's strong suit. The Red Wings are averaging 2.54 goals-per-game, 28th in the NHL.
Petr Mrazek will start in goal for the Red Wings on Friday. Mrazek is 7-6-2 with a 2.75 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage.
RED WINGS PROJECTED LINES:
| FORWARDS | | --- | | LEFT WING | CENTER | RIGHT WING | | GUSTAV NYQUIST | HENRIK ZETTERBERG | ANTHONY MANTHA | | TOMAS TATAR | DYLAN LARKIN | ANDREAS ATHANASIOU | | DARREN HELM | FRANS NIELSEN | JUSTIN ABDELKADER | | TYLER BERTUZZI | LUKE GLENDENING | MARTIN FRK |

| DEFENSE | | --- | | JONATHAN ERICSSON | TREVOR DALEY | | NIKLAS KRONWALL | MIKE GREEN | | DANNY DEKEYSER | NICK JENSEN |