The New York Islanders kick off the 2024-25 season on Thursday night (7:30 p.m., MSGSN)
NEW YORK ISLANDERS (0-0-0) VS UTAH HOCKEY CLUB (1-0-0)
7:30 PM | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS
WATCH: MSGSN | MSG+ | ESPN+
LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | ISLANDERS + UBS ARENA APP
New York Islanders hockey is back!
The Isles kick off the 2024-25 season on Thursday night, hosting the Utah Hockey Club at UBS Arena. After a tough training camp under Head Coach Patrick Roy, the Isles are ready to start playing games that count.
"It's the same thing as when I was a player, I'm always anxious, always a little nervous [for the season opener], but if you're not, you're not alive," Roy said. "It's always fun to start a new season, always very exciting... I really love the camp that we had, the guys worked really hard and played well in every game we had. We competed and we just want to bring that into this first game."
Sorokin did not see any preseason action, as the Russian netminder missed the first two weeks of training camp as he rehabbed from an offseason injury. Sorokin was 25-19-12 last season with a 3.01 GAA and a .909 SV% with two shutouts.
- Anthony Duclair and Maxim Tsyplakov will make their official Islanders debuts on Thursday night. Duclair signed a four-year deal with the Islanders in the offseason and spent nearly all of training camp on a line - and power-play unit - with Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat. Duclair recorded five points (1G, 4A) in four preseason games. Duclair has 303 points in 563 games in his NHL career.
Tsyplakov is also making his official NHL debut after coming over the KHL and signing a one-year deal with the Islanders in the offseason. Tsyplakov recorded 31 goals in 65 games for Spartak Moskva last season and was a highly sought after as a free agent. Tsyplakov recorded three points (1G, 2A) in five preseason games and is expected to start on a line with Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri, as well as play on a power-play unit with Barzal, Noah Dobson, Duclair and Horvat.
- There were also some notable departures from the Islanders roster in the offseason in longtime wingers Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck, both of who are in the top-12 in games played with the franchise. Martin, 823 games with the Isles, seventh all-time, is currently on a PTO with the Islanders, while Clutterbuck, 718 games with New York, 12th, is a free agent. Defenseman Sebastian Aho signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins organization after spending seven seasons with the Isles organization.
- Mathew Barzal led the Islanders with nine points (4G, 5A) in four preseason games, including a five-point night in the preseason finale against the New York Rangers on Oct. 4. Barzal's nine points tied San Jose's Danil Gushchin for the NHL preseason lead.
- Utah beefed up its blue line in the offseason, trading for Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev in a draft day deal that saw forward Conor Geekie, defenseman J.J. Moser, a 2024 seventh-round pick and 2025 second-round pick go the other way. Utah also acquired D John Marino and a 2024 fifth-round pick from New Jersey for draft picks.
- Dylan Guenther scored a pair of goals in Utah's season debut. Guenther, the ninth-overall pick in 2021, inked an eight-year, $57.14M contract extension with Utah, turning heads as the 21-year-old had only played in 78 NHL games prior to this season. Guenther had 35 points (18G, 17A) in 45 games with Arizona last season.
- Clayton Keller was named Utah's first captain on Oct. 4. Keller is entering his ninth year in the NHL and led Arizona in scoring in each of the past three seasons, most recently recording 76 points (33G, 43A) in 78 games last season.
NEW YORK ISLANDERS (0-0-0) VS UTAH HOCKEY CLUB (1-0-0)
7:30 PM | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS
WATCH: MSGSN | MSG+ | ESPN+
LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | ISLANDERS + UBS ARENA APP
New York Islanders hockey is back!
The Isles kick off the 2024-25 season on Thursday night, hosting the Utah Hockey Club at UBS Arena. After a tough training camp under Head Coach Patrick Roy, the Isles are ready to start playing games that count.
"It's the same thing as when I was a player, I'm always anxious, always a little nervous [for the season opener], but if you're not, you're not alive," Roy said. "It's always fun to start a new season, always very exciting... I really love the camp that we had, the guys worked really hard and played well in every game we had. We competed and we just want to bring that into this first game."
ISLANDERS NOTES:
- Semyon Varlamov will start in goal in the season opener, per Head Coach Patrick Roy with Ilya Sorokin backing up. Varlamov went 14-8-4 last season with a 2.60 GAA, a .918 SV% and three shutouts, while also starting four of the five games in the Isles First Round playoff series against Carolina. Varlamov went 2-0-0 in preseason action, stopping 46-of-49 shots in parts of three exhibition games totalling 129:16 TOI.Sorokin did not see any preseason action, as the Russian netminder missed the first two weeks of training camp as he rehabbed from an offseason injury. Sorokin was 25-19-12 last season with a 3.01 GAA and a .909 SV% with two shutouts.
- Anthony Duclair and Maxim Tsyplakov will make their official Islanders debuts on Thursday night. Duclair signed a four-year deal with the Islanders in the offseason and spent nearly all of training camp on a line - and power-play unit - with Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat. Duclair recorded five points (1G, 4A) in four preseason games. Duclair has 303 points in 563 games in his NHL career.
Tsyplakov is also making his official NHL debut after coming over the KHL and signing a one-year deal with the Islanders in the offseason. Tsyplakov recorded 31 goals in 65 games for Spartak Moskva last season and was a highly sought after as a free agent. Tsyplakov recorded three points (1G, 2A) in five preseason games and is expected to start on a line with Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri, as well as play on a power-play unit with Barzal, Noah Dobson, Duclair and Horvat.
- There were also some notable departures from the Islanders roster in the offseason in longtime wingers Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck, both of who are in the top-12 in games played with the franchise. Martin, 823 games with the Isles, seventh all-time, is currently on a PTO with the Islanders, while Clutterbuck, 718 games with New York, 12th, is a free agent. Defenseman Sebastian Aho signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins organization after spending seven seasons with the Isles organization.
- Mathew Barzal led the Islanders with nine points (4G, 5A) in four preseason games, including a five-point night in the preseason finale against the New York Rangers on Oct. 4. Barzal's nine points tied San Jose's Danil Gushchin for the NHL preseason lead.
UTAH HOCKEY CLUB NOTES:
- The Utah Hockey Club are the NHL's newest franchise, as the Arizona Coyotes relocated from Phoenix in the offseason. While a lot of the names on the roster - like captain Clayton Keller - are familiar to hockey fans, the team is technically a new squad in the NHL's eyes, meaning Tuesday's 5-2 win over Chicago was the franchise's first-ever win. Thursday marks Utah's first-ever road game.- Utah beefed up its blue line in the offseason, trading for Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev in a draft day deal that saw forward Conor Geekie, defenseman J.J. Moser, a 2024 seventh-round pick and 2025 second-round pick go the other way. Utah also acquired D John Marino and a 2024 fifth-round pick from New Jersey for draft picks.
- Dylan Guenther scored a pair of goals in Utah's season debut. Guenther, the ninth-overall pick in 2021, inked an eight-year, $57.14M contract extension with Utah, turning heads as the 21-year-old had only played in 78 NHL games prior to this season. Guenther had 35 points (18G, 17A) in 45 games with Arizona last season.
- Clayton Keller was named Utah's first captain on Oct. 4. Keller is entering his ninth year in the NHL and led Arizona in scoring in each of the past three seasons, most recently recording 76 points (33G, 43A) in 78 games last season.
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