Game Preview: Islanders at Bruins

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (25-25-7) AT BOSTON BRUINS (27-24-8)

7 PM | TD GARDEN

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The New York Islanders are looking to jump back into the win column as they take on the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Thursday night.

The Islanders dropped their fourth consecutive game with a 5-1 loss to the New York Rangers on Tuesday night. Alexander Romanov scored the lone goal for the Islanders. Ilya Sorokin made six saves on 11 shots through two periods before he was replaced by Jakub Skarek, who stopped all seven shots in relief.

The Bruins fell 5-4 in overtime to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night. David Pastrnak (2G), Brad Marchand (PPG) and Morgan Geekie (PPG) scored for the Bruins to take a 4-3 lead at the 10:33 mark of the third period, but Pontus Holmberg tied it for Toronto with under a minute left in regulation before Mitch Marner scored the overtime winner.

SEASON SERIES AND STANDINGS NOTES

The Islanders are 1-1-0 this season against the Bruins as their win came in their most recent meeting on Jan. 5 when the Isles pulled off a 5-4 OT win at TD Garden.

Thursday presents a huge opportunity for the Islanders (57 points) to gain ground on the Bruins (62 points), as both teams are fighting for a wild card spot. With a regulation win, the Islanders can narrow the gap to three points between themselves and the Bruins. The Islanders have two games in-hand over Boston.

The Detroit Red Wings (66 points) and the Columbus Blue Jackets (64 points) occupy the wild card spots in the Eastern Conference.

ISLES NOTES

- Noah Dobson is expected to return to game action on Thursday after missing 11 games with a lower-body injury. Wednesday's session marked the fourth time the defenseman has skated with the team. Dobson has 24 points (6G, 18A) through 46 games this season, which leads Isles blueliners in scoring. Scott Perunovich is expected to come out of the lineup in a corresponding move.

"He's been working really hard in practice, so I'm not very nervous," Roy said of Dobson. "What I want to see from him is controlling the puck, jumping in the rush, defending well, doing things he's been doing very well since he's been here."

- Hudson Fasching skated on a line with Kyle MacLean and Marc Gatcomb in Wednesday's practice. The winger has missed 17 games and has last played on Jan. 5 in a 5-4 OT win against the Bruins at TD Garden, which is where he'll make his return to game action if he plays on Thursday.

"We want energy," Roy said. "That's what we're looking for out of that line with MacLean and Gatcomb. [Fasching] needs to go out there and finish his checks and show some physicality."

- The Islanders' four-game losing streak marks the first time they've lost four straight in regulation since November 7-13, 2023.

- Casey Cizikas played his 872nd career game on Tuesday, tying Clark Gillies for sixth place in club history.

- Bo Horvat has averaged a point-per-game against the Bruins, with 21 points (10G, 11A) through 21 career games against Boston. Horvat scored the overtime winner for the Islanders and a shorthanded goal in regulation on Jan. 5.

BRUINS NOTES

- The Bruins are sixth in the Atlantic Division with 62 points and a record of 27-24-8. They stand outside the playoff picture, trailing the Blue Jackets (64 points) by two points for the second wild card spot in the east.

- The Bruins are playing at NHL-.500 with a record of 7-7-3 since they last played the Islanders on Jan. 5. Their power play has seen improvement in that 17-game stretch - converting at 23.4% over that span - but Boston is 15.4% on the man advantage overall this season, which ranks 30^th in the NHL.

- Charlie McAvoy suffered an upper-body injury in the 4 Nations Face-Off and was treated for an infection upon. There is no timeline for the 27-year-old defenseman's return. McAvoy has 23 points (7G, 16A) through 50 games played this season.

- Defenseman Hampus Lindholm is also out for the season after he fractured his patella. Lindholm has seven points (3G, 4A), five hits and 17 blocked shots in 17 games this season.

- David Pastrnak leads the Bruins with 30 goals and 72 points. The 28-year-old is riding a remarkable 15-game point streak with 30 points (13G, 17A), which is a career-long. His point streak kicked off on Jan. 11 and he leads the league in points over that span. Pastrnak's next point will mark the 800th of his career.

- Former Islander Oliver Wahlstrom has two points (1G, 1A) in 16 games with the Bruins since he was claimed off waivers from the Islanders on Dec. 14. The winger netted his first goal as a Bruin on Jan. 11 in a 4-3 OT win over the Florida Panthers.

- Former Islander Parker Wotherspoon netted his first career NHL goal on Jan. 14 in a 6-2 win over the Lightning.