Game Preview: Islanders at Red Wings 

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (29-24-15) AT DETROIT RED WINGS (35-28-6)

7 PM ET | LITTLE CAESARS ARENA

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LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | ESPN STREAM

The New York Islanders are headed to Detroit to take on the Red Wings in the conclusion of the season series between the two teams on Thursday night.

The Islanders dropped a 4-1 decision to the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night at UBS Arena, extending their winless skid to five games (0-4-1). Kyle Palmieri scored the lone goal for the Isles, who fell into an early 3-0 hole.

"We need to learn," Head Coach Patrick Roy said after the loss. "We need to start using those losses to make us a better team, that's what I'm hoping to see."

The Red Wings defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3 in overtime on Tuesday night. Lucas Raymond’s second goal of the night with 13 seconds left in regulation tied the game at three apiece, while Patrick Kane (1G, 2A) buried the overtime winner 48 seconds into the extra frame.

Thursday is a pivotal game in the wild card race. The Islanders (73 points) trail the Red Wings (76 points) for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, though the Isles have a game in-hand. The Washington Capitals, who fell 7-3 to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night, stand between the two teams in the standings with 75 points.

The Islanders lead the season series against Detroit 1-0-1 after a 5-3 win on Feb. 29 and a 4-3 OT loss on Oct. 30.

MORNING SKATE UPDATES

- Ilya Sorokin will start against Detroit, per Head Coach Patrick Roy. Sorokin is 22-17-11 this season and is 4-2-1 lifetime against the Red Wings.

- James Reimer is the expected starter against the Islanders on Thursday, per Head Coach Derek Lalonde. The 36-year-old netminder is 8-7-2 this season with a 2.98 GAA and .907 SV%.

- Robert Bortuzzo will return to the lineup for the first time since Jan. 2 after missing 31 games with a lower-body injury. Bortuzzo will draw into the lineup for Sebastian Aho. Bortuzzo recorded 16 hits and 17 blocked shots in his first 11 games with the Isles prior to the injury.

- Pierre Engvall will return to the lineup after missing Tuesday's game as a healthy scratch, drawing in for Matt Martin. Engvall is expected to play with JG Pageau and Simon Holmstrom. 

- Mathew Barzal is expected to shift back to center for Thursday's game on a line with Anders Lee and Hudson Fasching. Barzal had largely played right wing this season after starting his NHL career as a center.

ISLANDERS NOTES

- The Islanders have been outscored 20-6 over the span of their five-game winless skid (0-4-1). The stretch immediately followed a season-long six-game win streak where they outscored opponents 30-11.

- The Isles allowed the fewest first period goals this season (41) and are tied for the second-most allowed in the second period (93) but the script was flipped on Tuesday night. The Islanders allowed three goals in the first period of Tuesday’s game, snapping a 10-game streak of holding opponents scoreless, which was a franchise record. On the other hand, the Islanders also snapped a skid of 14 games where they allowed one or more second period tallies.

- Kyle Palmieri scored his 22nd goal of the season on Tuesday and seventh goal in his last nine outings.

- Bo Horvat recorded an assist on Palmieri’s goal for his 498th career NHL point. The center is riding a three-game point streak with three goals and one assist over that span.

- Brock Nelson reached 30 assists on the season for the second time of his career after he recorded three assists in his last two games.

RED WINGS NOTES

- The Red Wings are 2-8-0 in their 10 contests. Their 5-3 loss to the Islanders on Feb. 29 ended a season-long six-game win streak for Detroit and began a seven-game losing streak (0-7-0) for Detroit.

- Lucas Raymond buried two goals on Tuesday, extending his career-long goal streak to five games (7G). The 21-year-old winger leads the team with 59 points.

- Patrick Kane scored the overtime winner in Tuesday’s 4-3 OT feat over the Blue Jackets 48 seconds into the extra frame, marking his 12th career overtime goal. Kane has been a valuable asset for the Red Wings since he joined the team in December, averaging a point-per-game pace with 38 points (15G, 23A) in 38 games.

- Defenseman Jake Walman missed Tuesday's game with a lower-body injury. The Red Wings recalled defenseman Simon Edvinsson from the Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL). Edvinsson skated 18:36 in his third game with the Red Wings this season on Tuesday. The 21-year-old defenseman played nine games with the Red Wings last season and scored two goals.

- The Red Wings are without Captain Dylan Larkin, who is out day to day with a lower-body injury. He skated with the team on Tuesday but missed his eighth consecutive game against the Blue Jackets. His status for Thursday's tilt against the Islanders is unknown. Larkin leads the team with 26 goals.

- Detroit ranks seventh in offense (3.39 GF/ GP) in the league.