Game Preview: Islanders at Jets

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (25-21-7) AT WINNIPEG JETS (38-14-3)

8 PM ET | CANADA LIFE CENTRE

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The New York Islanders are back on the road and ready to take on the Winnipeg Jets on Friday night in the first half of a back-to-back set that also sees them take on Minnesota Wild on Saturday in their final game before the 4 Nations Face-Off break.

The Islanders grinded out a 2-1 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night at UBS Arena, marking their eighth win in their last nine games. Bo Horvat and Brock Nelson (GWG) provided the offense while Ilya Sorokin turned aside 33 of 34 shots in the win.

The Islanders are in the mix for a wild card spot in the Eastern Conference with 57 points, four back of the Detroit Red Wings (61 points) who occupy the second wild card spot, though New York has one game in-hand. The Isles are facing a stiff test in facing Winnipeg and the Wild on the road, but Head Coach Patrick Roy emphasized the importance of a strong start and a good challenge for his group.

“I like the fact that we’re on the road, I think it’s easier to be focused and on the back-to-back, we won’t have too much time to think,” Roy said. “We have something good going on right now. We want to think short-term, not think too far ahead and focus on that first period against Winnipeg.”

The Jets earned their seventh straight win on Tuesday night when they shut out the Carolina Hurricanes 3-0. Nino Niederreiter (PPG), Neal Pionk (PPG) and Rasmus Kupari scored for Winnipeg, while Eric Comrie stopped all 29 shots he faced.

SEASON SERIES

The Isles and Jets split the season series 1-1-0 last season. The Isles have won eight of their last nine games against the Jets, including four of five in Manitoba. The season series will conclude on March 4 at UBS Arena.

ISLES NOTES

- Scott Mayfield (day to day, lower-body) missed Thursday’s practice on Long Island. He missed his second consecutive game on Tuesday and will not travel with the team to Winnipeg and Minnesota for their back-to-back set, per Roy.

- Hudson Fasching will travel with the team for the back-to-back set on the road. Fasching missed 13 games since he suffered an upper-body injury on Jan. 5 in Boston.

- Roy said the plan is to start Ilya Sorokin in both games of the back-to-back set. Sorokin is 9-1-0 in his last 10 games with a 1.66 GAA, a .942 SV% and two shutouts, allowing 15 goals over that span.

- The Islanders’ penalty kill has gone 26-for-29 (89.7%) since the calendar flipped to 2025, which leads the league over that span.

- Bo Horvat recorded his team-leading 40th point of the season on Tuesday. The center has nine career 40-point seasons.

- Per Islanders team statistician Eric Hornick, the Islanders were held to eight shots through two periods on Tuesday night for the first time since March 19, 2019 in a 5-0 loss to the Boston Bruins.

- The Islanders’ faceoff win percentage (55.3%) ranks first in the NHL and has stayed atop the league leaderboard consistently all season.

“Our guys have been working hard at it with some pride and have been doing a really nice job,” Roy said. “It’s an important part of the game, winning a faceoff gives you puck possession and helps you exit the d-zone.”

JETS NOTES

- The Jets have been at or near the top of the NHL standings all season, but their seven-game winning streak (tied for an active league-long with Detroit) lifted Winnipeg to first in the league with 79 points and a record of 38-14-3.

- The Jets have the best offense in the league (3.60 GF/GP) and they also own the league’s best power play, converting at 33.8%. Gabriel Vilardi leads the team with 11 power-play goals, which also ranks second in the NHL.

- The Islanders will not face Adam Lowry on Friday, as the captain is week-to-week with an upper-body injury he sustained on Jan. 20 in the first period of a 5-2 loss the Utah Hockey Club. Head Coach Scott Arniel said he doesn’t expect the forward to return until after the 4 Nations Face-Off break. Lowry has 26 points (11G, 15A) through 48 games played this season.

- Mark Scheifele is the team leader in goals (31). The 31-year-old has seven points (4G, 3A) in his last five outings. When the Jets went head-to-head with the Eastern Conference-leading Washington Capitals, Scheifele recorded an assist to secure his 10th straight 60-point season.

- Kyle Connor leads Winnipeg with 67 points in his ninth season with the team.