Game Preview: Islanders at Stars

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (0-0-1) AT DALLAS STARS (1-0-0)

8 PM | AMERICAN AIRLINES CENTER

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The New York Islanders kick off a three-game Central Division road trip on Saturday night, as they visit the Dallas Stars for their first road game of the season.

The Isles fell 5-4 in OT to the Utah Hockey Club in their season opener on Thursday night. Anthony Duclair (PPG) and Maxim Tsyplakov scored in their Islanders debuts, while Bo Horvat and JG Pageau (SHG) rounded out the scoresheet. While the Isles earned a point in the win, they let three separate leads - 1-0, 3-2 and 4-3 - slip away, with the latter two leads being answered back in under a minute. Head Coach Patrick Roy said he liked the way his team responded in Friday's practice and preachd an even-keeled mindset and that sentiment was reflected in the Islanders locker room.

"We have to stay even keel," Horvat said. "We can't get too high when we score. We can't get too low when we get scored on, so I think for us to kind of keep our composure and learn from last night and move on."

They'll have a tough test in front of them in the Stars, who were the top regular season team in the Western Conference last season, finishing with a 52-21-9 record and 113 points. Dallas won its first game in Nashville, 4-3, on Thursday night, netting four goals in the second period. Logan Stankoven had a three-assist game while Mason Marchment (2G) and Roope Hintz (1G, 1A) each had two-point nights. Jake Oettinger stopped 33 of 36 shots in the win.

"They have four balance lines that play hard and play a certain way and has an identity to their team, as do we," Horvat said. "We have to come prepared and ready to go."

PREVIOUS MEETING:

The Islanders won both games against the Stars last season, taking a pair of 3-2 wins in overtime. The Isles are 5-3-1 in their last nine games against Dallas.

MORNING SKATE UPDATES:

The Islanders are expected to go back to the same lineup from Thursday's season opener. Semyon Varlamov is the expected starter in goal. He's 2-2-0 in four games against Dallas since joining the Isles in 2019-20 with a 3.03 GAA and a .917 SV% in those four contests.

Dallas is also expected to go with their same lineup from their season opener in Nashville. Jake Oettinger is expected to start in goal. Oettinger is 3-1-0 with a 1.97 GAA and a .922 SV% in four games against the Islanders. Mavrik Bourque will miss his second straight game with a lower-body injury.

ISLANDERS NOTES:

- Anthony Duclair and Maxim Tsyplakov each scored in their Islanders’ debuts. Duclair opened the scoring by deflecting a power-play goal off his skate, while Tsyplakov fired home a shot from the slot late in the third period. Tsyplakov also recorded a game-high six hits and also had five shot attempts in the game. Per Team Statistician Eric Hornick, Tsyplakov is the 22nd Islander to score in his first NHL game.

- The Islanders penalty kill went 0-for-2 on Thursday night, albeit with a shorthanded goal. Last season the Islanders owned the NHL’s 32^nd ranked penalty kill (71.5%), so while they're learning a new system under Patrick Roy and new Assistant Coach Tommy Albelin, improving it this season is a priority for the Islanders.

"We're all committed to the new system and to being better and keep learning those little details," JG Pageau said. "When to press and when to be more patient a little bit so we don't open up those grade A chance. And with the group that we have, I feel very confident that we'll be better."

- Pageau scored the shorthanded goal for the Islanders in Thursday’s OT loss. An opening night goal was a much faster start on the scoresheet for Pageau, who didn’t register his first goal until the 21^st game of the season last year.

- Alexander Romanov had an active night on the scoresheet on Thursday. The defenseman recorded four shots on goal – second most – and seven total shot attempts, which tied for second, but led d-men. His four blocked shots and three giveaways also tied for the team high.

STARS NOTES:

- The Stars were the top regular season team in the Western Conference last season, finishing with a 52-21-9 record and 113 points. The Stars averaged 3.59 goals-per-game, third-most in the NHL, finishing top-10 in goals-against-per-game (8^th), power play (6^th) and penalty kill (8^th). Dallas boasts a balanced attack with eight forwards scoring 20 goals last season and six surpassing the 25-goal mark.

- The Stars signed overhauled their blue line in the offseason. Chris Tanev, a trade deadline acquisition, was dealt to Toronto ahead of free agency, while Ryan Suter was released and Jani Hakanpää left as an unrestricted free agent. Matt Dumba, Ilya Lyubushkin and Brendan Smith were all signed in the offseason.

- Jason Robertson played and scored in Dallas’ season opener after missing the preseason. Robertson led the Stars with 80 points (29G, 51A) last season and posted back-to-back 40-goal seasons from 2021-23.

- Mavrik Bourque missed Thursday's opener with a lower-body injury, but skated before the team's practice on Friday and could play in one of Dallas' two weekend games. Bourque was Dallas' first-round pick in 2020 (30th overall) and led the AHL in scoring with 77 points (26G, 51A) in 71 games with the Texas Stars last season.

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