Game Preview: Islanders at Panthers

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (16-10-3) AT FLORIDA PANTHERS (13-12-2)

5 PM | AMERANT BANK ARENA

WATCH/STREAM: MSGSN | GOTHAM SPORTS APP

LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | ISLANDERS + UBS ARENA APP

The New York Islanders shoot for a fourth straight win when they visit the Florida Panthers on Sunday evening at Amerant Bank Arena.

The Isles are coming off a 2-0 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night, marking the second time in three games the Isles have beaten the Bolts. Cal Ritchie and Casey Cizikas (ENG) scored for the Islanders, while Ilya Sorokin stopped all 32 shots he saw for his 25^th career shutout.

The Panthers are coming off a 7-6 OT win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday afternoon. Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand each had four-point games, culminating in Bennett’s OT winner, which Marchand assisted on. The win snapped a four-game winless stretch (0-3-1) for the Panthers.

PROJECTED LINES

The Islanders will not hold a morning skate on Sunday, so lineup news will come closer to puck drop. Here are the lines from Saturday in Tampa.

Anders Lee – Mathew Barzal – Max Tsyplakov
Emil Heineman – Bo Horvat – Max Shabanov
Simon Holmstrom – Cal Ritchie – Anthony Duclair
Kyle MacLean – Casey Cizikas – Marc Gatcomb

Matthew Schaefer – Ryan Pulock
Adam Pelech – Tony DeAngelo
Adam Boqvist – Scott Mayfield

RITTICH EXPECTED TO START

David Rittich is expected to start for the Islanders on the second half of the back-to-back set. Rittich is 6-2-1 this season with a 2.61 GAA, a .901 SV% and one shutout. The Czech netminder is 3-0-1 in his last four starts.

Rittich is 4-1-0 lifetime against the Panthers, but has not faced them since the 2021-22 season.

ISLES VS PANTHERS

The Islanders went 1-2-0 against the Panthers last season, winning the most recent matchup on March 16. The Isles are 4-4-2 against the Cats in their last 10 meetings. The Islanders have won twice in their last three visits to South Florida.

CIZIKAS STREAKING

Casey Cizikas has empty-net goals in consecutive games for the Islanders. Cizikas finished Saturday with 14:04 TOI, including 2:52 shorthanded as the Isles killed off two Tampa power plays. Cizikas also drew the double-minor that led to Cal Ritchie’s game-winning goal. Cizikas has seven points (3G, 4A) in 29 games this season.

SOROKIN TIES CHICO

With his 25^th shutout, Sorokin matched Chico Resch for the most shutouts in New York Islanders history.

SPECIAL TEAMS STAY HOT

The Islanders power play has scored in four of their last five games, going 4-for-18 (22.2%) over that span.

The Islanders penalty kill has not allowed a goal over the past three games, going 8-for-8 over that span.

PANTHERS NOTES

The two-time, reigning Stanley Cup champions find themselves in an unfamiliar position to start the year, as Florida’s 28 points are the second fewest in the Eastern Conference. Count the Cats out at your own peril – as Florida is just five points back of a playoff spot as the East standings remain incredibly tight.

Daniil Tarasov is expected to start in goal for the Panthers, as Sergei Bobrovsky played on Saturday against Columbus. Tarasov is 2-4-1 this season with a 2.67 GAA and a .907 SV% in his first season with the Panthers. Tarasov has one previous appearance against the Islanders during his days with the Blue Jackets, allowing two goals on 15 shots in a game he left early with an injury.

Marchand leads the Panthers in goals (16), assists (15) and points (31) in his first full season with the team. The 37-year-old, who was acquired by the Cats at last year’s trade deadline, is playing over a point-per-game pace for the first time since the 2021-22 season.

The Panthers will be without captain Aleksander Barkov, who tore his ACL and MCL during the team’s training camp. It’s a big loss for the Panthers, as Barkov is one of the league’s top, two-way players and has recorded 375 points (131G, 244A) in 325 over the past five seasons. Florida is also without Matthew Tkachuk, who is still recovering from an offseason surgery to repair a torn adductor muscle and a sports hernia.