PK Cronin
Bailey Fan Club Prez
- Feb 11, 2013
- 34,500
- 23,941
NEW YORK ISLANDERS (31-25-8) VS DETROIT RED WINGS (28-24-9)
12:30 PM ET | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS
WATCH: MSGSN | MSG GO | ESPN+
LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | 1050AM
The New York Islanders will take on the Detroit Red Wings in a matinee matchup on Saturday at UBS Arena in the rubber match of the season series.
Both prior matchups this season came in shutout fashion. The Red Wings won the first game of the season 3-0 on Nov. 5, while the Islanders shut out the Red Wings 2-0 on Jan. 27 with goals from Anders Lee and Brock Nelson.
The Islanders are coming off a 2-1 shootout loss to the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night at Xcel Energy Center. Josh Bailey scored for the Islanders, but Ryan Reaves responded for the Wild to push the game past 60 minutes. After a scoreless overtime, the Islanders fell in the shootout after testing Filip Gustavsson with 40 shots on goal. Ilya Sorokin made 30 saves in the shootout loss. The Islanders are 0-5 in shootouts this season.
The Red Wings fell 5-4 in overtime to the Seattle Kraken on Thursday night, extending their winless skid to four games (0-3-1). Ben Chiarot, Adam Erne, Jonatan Berggren and Jake Walman put up goals in a comeback effort for Detroit, but Seattle was victorious in overtime with a power play goal from Oliver Bjorkstrand.
The Islanders and Red Wings are two of the teams in the hunt for a wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Islanders (70 points, 64 games played) hold the second wild card spot, while the Red Wings (65 points, 61 games played) trail the Isles by five points, but have three games in-hand, emphasizing the significance of Saturday's affair.
"Down this stretch, every game is like a playoff game but some of these are a little bigger than others," Ryan Pulock said on Friday after practice. "They're fighting. We're fighting. I think you're going to see a good hockey game... two desperate teams."
ISLANDERS NOTES:
- Only six points separate the top seven teams vying for a wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, with the Isles grasping the second wild card spot. The Pittsburgh Penguins (71 points, 61 games played) leapfrogged the Islanders (70 points) in the standings with a 5-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday, overtaking the first wild card spot. Buffalo, Ottawa, Florida and Washington all have 66 points but all have at least one game in-hand over New York."It's going to be a race to the finish here," Matt Martin said. "It's going to be tight. And we just got to find a way to keep playing good hockey and keep collecting points."
- The Islanders went 6-3-3 in February, picking up three of a possible four points on a two-game road trip at the end of the month. The Islanders have been tightening up defensively, only allowing seven goals in their last five games.
- Pierre Engvall will make his debut for the Islanders on Saturday after he was acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday in exchange for a 2024 third-round draft pick. The 26-year-old forward had two practices with his new team this week, where many players got the chance to familiarize themselves with the newest acquisition after only knowing him as an opponent.
"We played against him quite a bit," Kyle Palmieri said of Engvall. "He's a big fast guy and he was tough to play against. He'll be a contribution to our team."
Engvall practiced alongside Bo Horvat and Anders Lee on Thursday and Friday.
- The Islanders play their first and only home ice matinee matchup of the season tomorrow, with a 12:30 start.
"It gives you the opportunity to wake up and go play," Palmieri said of an earlier puck drop. "Afternoon games are fun, but it'll be a good time to get off to a good start."
- Jean-Gabriel Pageau is expected to miss his ninth straight game on Saturday, dealing with an upper body injury. According to Head Coach Lane Lambert, he's making steps toward his return.
"I don't think it's a long-term thing," Lambert said on Friday. "I think he's getting closer. We'll see where it goes from here."
- The Islanders are dealing with several injuries impacting their lineup, including Mathew Barzal (lower-body) who does not have a timeline for his return, per Lambert. Despite missing key players, the Islanders are finding ways to step up.
"I think we've really found a way to play with more structure," Pulock said. "Especially when you have key players out like that. I think that's important."
RED WINGS NOTES:
- Saturday's faceoff against New York will mark the first game in a back-to-back set for Detroit, who are slated to face the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday.- Detroit was active right before the NHL trade deadline on Friday, trading center Oskar Sundqvist to the Minnesota Wild for a fourth-round pick in the 2023 Draft. The Red Wings also acquired center Dylan McLaughlin and a seventh-round pick from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for winger Jakub Vrana.
- The Red Wings parted ways with forward Tyler Bertuzzi, trading him to the Boston Bruins on Thursday in exchange for a 2024 first-round pick and a 2025 fourth-round pick. The 28-year-old winger played his parts of seven seasons with Detroit, collecting 202 points (88G, 114A) in 305 career games.
- The Red Wings also traded Filip Hronek to the Vancouver Canucks and a 2023 fourth-round draft pick in exchange for a 2023 conditional first round pick (via the Islanders) and Vancouver's own 2023 second round selection. The defenseman had tied his career-high in goals (9) and points (38) through 60 games with the Red Wings this season.
- Captain Dylan Larkin agreed to an eight-year contract extension with his hometown team on Thursday. The 26-year-old center leads Detroit across three major categories in goals (22), assists (36) and points (58). The captain played with the Red Wings for all eight seasons in his career and was drafted by the team in the first round in 2014.
- Michael Rasmussen is on the team's IR list with a lower-body injury suffered on Feb. 25 in a matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 23-year-old centerman was riding a career-high 29-points (10G, 19A) prior to the injury and is likely to miss the remainder of the season.
- Jordan Oesterle was taken off IR on Thursday after missing six games and will likely face the Isles on Saturday afternoon. The 30-year-old defenseman recorded five points (2G, 3A) through 38 games played this season.
Last edited by a moderator:
