NEW YORK ISLANDERS (26-22-5) VS SEATTLE KRAKEN (29-15-5)
7:30 PM | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS
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The New York Islanders are vying for their fourth consecutive win as they welcome the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night at UBS Arena, in the second half of a back-to-back set.
The Islanders are coming off a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday night. Kyle Palmieri and Mathew Barzal generated the offense for New York, while Nicolas Deslauriers scored the lone goal for Philly. Semyon Varlamov made 25 saves in between the pipes in his second straight start.
The Kraken defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-1 in their final game before the All-Star break on Jan. 28th. Morgan Geekie, Alex Wennberg and Eeli Tolvanen found the back of the net for Seattle, while Kent Johnson scored the lone goal for Columbus.
With two points in Monday's victory, the Islanders tied the Pittsburgh Penguins with 57 points apiece but remain in sixth in the Metropolitan Division. Pittsburgh sits in the playoff picture with the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference with four games in-hand. The Islanders trail the Washington Capitals (60 points) by three points, both teams at 53 games played. On the other hand, the Kraken are at the top of the Pacific Division with 63 points, tied with the Los Angeles Kings, who have played four more games.
The Islanders fell 4-1 to the Kraken in their first matchup of the season on Jan. 1, as Mathew Barzal netted the lone goal for New York. The two teams split the season series last year at one apiece in the inaugural season for Seattle.
ISLANDERS NOTES:
- With three straight wins to bolster the Islanders to 57 points, New York is on the doorstep of a playoff spot, tied with the Pittsburgh Penguins, who hold the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Mat Barzal, who scored the game-winner on Monday night, said his team is back in the mix and is displaying a hungry attitude on the ice."Before these three games, everyone [was] writing us off," Mathew Barzal said after Monday's win. "It's such a tight division. I like our mindset right now, we have guys that want play in the playoffs."
- Bo Horvat played his first game as an Islander on Monday night, recording a team-high four shots and playing on a line with Barzal and Josh Bailey. Horvat is excited to play in his new home on Tuesday night, as his only experience at UBS Arena was as a visiting Vancouver Canuck.
"[I'll] probably have nerves and butterflies playing in front home crowd for the first time," Horvat said about his Islanders home debut on Tuesday. "I'm really looking forward to it."
- With a second-period assist against Philadelphia on Monday, Noah Dobson notched his 100th career point in his return to the lineup after missing four games with a lower-body injury.
- Kyle Palmieri extended his point streak to five games with a goal against the Flyers on Monday, with six points (1G, 5A) over that span.
- Brock Nelson collected eight points (4G, 4A) over his seven-game point streak.
- Hudson Fasching was activated off the team's IR list on Monday after he missed six games with a lower body injury. Fasching has five points (3G, 2A) through 19 games with the Islanders this season.
- The Islanders netted a power play goal on Monday night - courtesy of Kyle Palmieri - to snap a 0-for-26 power play drought with the man advantage.
- New York's penalty kills ranks fourth in the league (83.2%), and the Islanders have killed off their last eight consecutive penalties.
KRAKEN NOTES:
- The Kraken acquired Jaycub Megna from the San Jose Sharks on Sunday, in exchange for a 2023 fourth-round pick. The 30-year-old defenseman totaled a career-best 12 points (1G, 11A) in 48 games for San Jose prior to the trade.- Tuesday night's matchup marks the beginning of a five-game road trip for Seattle. The Kraken are no stranger to long road trips, as the team went on a season-long seven game road trip in January, winning all seven games. With 14 consecutive points on the road, the Kraken became the first team in NHL history to sweep a road trip of seven or more games. The Kraken are fourth in the league on the road with a record of 16-5-2.
- Jared McCann leads his team in goals (23).
- Former Islander Jordan Eberle leads the Kraken in assists (28) in his second season in Seattle. The 32-year-old winger passed his 900th career NHL game milestone on Jan. 14, where he picked up an assist in an 8-5 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks.
- Andre Burakovsky collected the most points for the Kraken this season with 39 in his first year with the team. He signed a five-year deal with the Kraken ahead of the season, after winning the Cup with the Colorado Avalanche and posting a career-best 61 points. Burakovsky is two assists shy of reaching his milestone 200th.
- Ryan Donato scored four goals in his last five games for a total of 12 on the season.
- The Kraken's penalty kill ranks 31st in the league (72.3%).
