Morning Skate Updates: Islanders at Stars

The New York Islanders take on the Dallas Stars on Sunday night at American Airlines Center at 8 p.m. eastern. Watch the game on MSG+, MSG GO, or NHL.TV. Listen live on 88.7FM WRHU, 103.9FM LI News or online at radio.com/islanders. Read the game preview. Check the game notes.

TOEWS TO MAKE NHL DEBUT:

Devon Toews has worked for this day his entire life.
Toews will make his NHL debut on Sunday in Dallas, when the Islanders take on the Stars. Toews has been on a steady ascent since being drafted by the Islanders in the fourth round of the 2014 draft, winning an ECAC title at Quinnipiac and becoming an AHL all-star. Now the 24-year-old is going to realize his NHL dream.
"I'm excited," Toews said. "It's taken a little longer than I'd hoped, but it's all a process and I'm excited for the opportunity."

Toews' parents, Werner and Tammy, brother, Nolan, and fiancé are all making the trip to the Lone Star State to take in the action. Toews said he could go on for about 20 minutes to properly thank everyone who helped him go from youth hockey in Abbotsford, BC to the NHL.
"It's a dream come true for every player who has ever played," Head Coach Barry Trotz said. "It goes deeper than that. It's a family thing, the commitment your parents made to get you to all those games and pay for your equipment and all that stuff and all the hard work you've put in over the years. It's starting to pay off. I'm really happy for Devon and I think he'll just be fine."
Toews is renowned for his skating ability and offensive production. He won the fastest skater competition at the 2017 AHL All-Star Classic and recorded 86 points (18G, 68A) in 130 games with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers from 2016-18. Toews' numbers mirror Josh Ho-Sang's (126 GP, 20G, 69A, 89P), which speak to his offensive capabilities. Trotz plans to give Toews some looks on the second power-play unit to "use him as best we can."
Toews will be paired with veteran Luca Sbisa on Sunday night. Sbisa, a veteran of 502 NHL games, said he plans to keep his game simple and communicate a lot to ease the rookie into his first game.

"I remember my first game, lots of emotions, a little anxiety, you feel a little nervous. There are a lot of things going on in your head, so probably just try to keep it simple and make it an easy game for him because he's got enough things to worry about. He's a good player, as soon as he gets his first few shifts in his hockey instincts will take over and he's going to be fine."
Toews, a left-handed defenseman, is slated to play on the right side for his debut, but said playing his off side shouldn't be an issue and that he plans to keep things simple.
"Just keep my game simple," Toews said. "Not varying away from how I play the game, that's what has gotten me to this point, just keep it simple, communicate with my teammates out there and try to get two points."

END OF THE ROAD:

The Islanders are wrapping up a four-game road trip on Sunday night. The team has covered over 4,000 miles since Sunday, so it's a relatively big trip for a Metropolitan Division team. The Isles are currently 2-1-0 and want to end the trek on a winning note after dropping a 4-2 decision in Vegas on Thursday.

DALLAS PROJECTED LINES:

Jamie Benn - Tyler Seguin - Denis Gurianov
Valeri Nichushkin - Jason Spezza - Alexander Radulov
Mattias Janmark - Jason Dickinson - Blake Comeau
Radek Faksa - Devin Shore - Brett Ritchie
Esa Lindell - John Klingberg
Miro Heiskanen - Taylor Fedun
Gavin Bayreuther - Roman Polak
Anton Khudobin
Ben Bishop