Game Preview: Islanders vs Red Wings

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (2-1-2) VS DETROIT RED WINGS (2-3-0)

7:45 PM | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS

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After two days between games, the New York Islanders are back in action when they host the Detroit Red Wings at UBS Arena on Tuesday night.

The Islanders are riding a three-game point streak (2-0-1) after they edged out the Montreal Canadiens in a 4-3 shootout victory on Saturday. Bo Horvat (PPG), Kyle Palmieri and Anders Lee scored in regulation, while Semyon Varlamov stopped 21 of 24 shots faced. Noah Dobson scored the game-deciding goal in a nine-round shootout.

“We had a lot of chances throughout the game, it would have been nice to capitalize on another chance in overtime, couple posts and nice saves by their goalie,” Dobson said. “Just tried to make the most of the opportunity [in the shootout] and was fortunate that I was able to score big one there.”

The Red Wings are feeling hot after a 5-2 win over the Nashville Predators on Saturday night. Andrew Copp (2G), Vladimir Tarasenko, Dylan Larkin and Simon Edvinsson (EN) powered Detroit’s offense while Alex Lyon made 37 saves.

The Islanders and Red Wings battled it out last season, neck and neck in the standings while they were competing for a wild card in the Eastern Conference down the stretch. The Islanders earned three of a possible six points against Detroit (1-1-1).

MORNING SKATE UPDATES

- The Islanders recalled forward Liam Foudy on Tuesday morning, as Julien Gauthier was assigned to Bridgeport in a corresponding move after he cleared waivers Monday afternoon.

Foudy was acquired in the offseason, inking a one-year deal. The forward played three preseason games for Isles and potted a goal. The 24-year-old has 102 games of NHL experience playing for the Columbus Blue Jackets and Nashville Predators.

- Head Coach Patrick Roy announced that Ilya Sorokin will start against Detroit, which marks his third start in four games. Sorokin is 1-0-1 this season with a 1.48 GAA and a .953 SV% save percentage. The Russian netminder is 4-2-2 lifetime against Detrot.

- Alex Lyon is the expected starting netminder for detroit. He’s 2-1-1 this season and made 37 saves in Saturday’s 5-2 win over Nashville. He only faced the Islanders once in a 5-2 loss for the Red Wings on February 29th.

ISLES NOTES

- Saturday’s win came at the cost of winger Anthony Duclair, who left the game at the 3:19 mark of the third period. Islanders President and GM Lou Lamoriello said although the injury does not appear to be season-ending, Duclair’s injury is considered “long-term.”

“We won't know until the next 24 hours or so just how serious it will be,” Lamoriello said on Monday morning ahead of practice at Northwell Health Ice Center. “It would be more long term than short term at this point, certainly not season ending or anything, but the time frame, we just have to get more results from X rays and MRIs.”

- Simon Holmstrom skated on a line with Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat during Monday’s practice in place of Duclair. The 24-year-old winger took a few shifts at the end of Saturday’s game, which caught the liking of Head Coach Patrick Roy.

"He finished the game there, I was curious to see him on that line," Roy said. "The way he was playing, I thought he had a good game against Montreal. So I was open to giving him a try. But I'm going to sit down with Lou [Lamoriello] and see who we think should be the guy to play with [Barzal and Horvat] but [Holmstrom] is certainly a possibility."

The trio was tried out early last season, as Barzal, Horvat and Holmstrom were on the ice together for 19 high danger chances and four goals in 135:40 TOI, per Natural Stat Trick. Holmstrom said that familiarity is helpful if he were to start with Barzal and Horvat at any point in the absence of Duclair.

“You don’t want to see that,” Holmstrom said of Duclair’s injury. “It sucks for him and the team as a whole as well, we just have to fill that spot and do our best. I skated with [Horvat and Barzal] a couple times last year so it feels familiar, which is nice, it felt good.”

- Ilya Sorokin is expected to start in goal, Roy announced on Monday. Sorokin is 1-0-1 this season with a 1.48 GAA and a .953 SV%. Sorokin is 4-2-2 lifetime against Detroit with a 2.70 G

- The power play converted once through six opportunities on Saturday, while the Isles penalty kill went 0-for-1, ending the streak of three perfect games.

- Brock Nelson leads the Islanders with 26 points (16G, 10A) in 29 career games against the Red Wings.

RED WINGS NOTES

- Detroit is 2-3-0 in their first five games of the season, with both wins coming against the Nashville Predators and three losses to Metropolitan Division opponents, as they fell to the New York Rangers in both games of a home-and-home, while they also dropped their season opener to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Last season, the Red Wings finished with 91 points and missed the playoffs by one point – they were tied in points with the Washington Capitals but had fewer regulation wins.

- Tyler Motte (upper-body) is day to day and is likely to miss Tuesday's contest against the Islanders. He suffered an injury in Thursday's game against the Rangers and missed Saturday's tilt against Nashville.

- Marco Kasper, the Red Wings' 2022 first-round pick(8th overall) made his first appearance of the season for Detroit on Saturday, recording an assist in the first period for his first career NHL point. It was the 20-year-old forward's second NHL appearance, as he made his debut for the Red Wings on April 2, 2023.

- Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond are tied for the team lead of four points through the first five games of the season. Larkin was the team leader with 33 goals in the 2023-24 campaign, while Raymond led with 72 points. Shayne Gostisbehere, who led with 46 assists, signed with the Carolina Hurricanes as a free agent in the offseason.

- Detroit signed Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year deal during the offseason. The 13-year NHL veteran has two goals in his first five games following a season where he put up 55 points (23G, 32A) in 76 games in the 2023-24 campaign, split between the Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers.