Game Preview: Islanders at Senators

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (23-21-5) VS OTTAWA SENATORS (20-23-3)
7 PM ET | CANADIAN TIRE CENTRE
WATCH: MSGSN | MSGGO | ESPN+
LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | 1050AM
The New York Islanders are looking to jump back into the win column with a visit to Ottawa to face the Senators on Wednesday night at 7 pm, in the second of three meetings between the two teams.
The season series opened on Nov. 14, with the Islanders picking up at 4-2 win over the Senators on the road. Oliver Wahlstrom, Noah Dobson (1G, 1A), Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Brock Nelson scored for New York, while Drake Batherson and Claude Giroux scored for Ottawa. Semyon Varlamov made 36 saves in the win.

The Islanders are coming off a 5-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday night, extending their winless streak to five games, going 0-3-2 over that span. Anders Lee had a goal in each of the first two periods against Toronto, but the Islanders gave up four goals in the second frame, allowing the Maple Leafs to break the game open and pull away in the third period.
The Senators are coming off back-to-back losses, most recently falling 5-1 to the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday. Josh Norris scored the lone goal for Ottawa, while Nikolaj Ehlers (1G, 2A), Mark Scheifele (2G,1A), Blake Wheeler (1G, 2A), and Cole Perfetti lit up the scoresheet for Winnipeg.
In the last 10 matchups with the Senators, the Islanders are 9-1-0, dating back to the 2018-19 season.

ISLANDERS NOTES:

• With Monday's loss to the Maple Leafs, the Islanders' winless streak reached five games (0-3-2) with only one win in their last 10 games (1-6-3). The Islanders had a strong performance in the first period, exiting the first 20 minutes with a 1-0 lead and outshooting the Leafs 13-6, but Toronto had an explosive four-goal period and scored their fifth goal in the final frame.
  "I thought it was our best period we've played, this month certainly," Head Coach Lane Lambert said of the first frame. "And then our details and our awareness costed us tonight. We have to get past that and clean it up."
  - Mathew Barzal snapped a seven-game pointless drought on Monday with a secondary assist. Barzal leads the Islanders in assists (31). He also fares well against the Senators, averaging over a point-per-game with a career record of 15 points (4G, 11A) in 13 games played.
  - Brock Nelson is riding a three-game point streak, collecting two goals and an assist over that span. Nelson is tied with Anders Lee for the top spot in goals, both at 17 apiece.
  - The Islanders are seeing some positive news on the injury front with the return of Adam Pelech and Kyle Palmieri. Pelech returned to the lineup on Monday for the first time since Dec. 6, recording a shot and two hits against the Maple Leafs, while Palmieri tallied an assist, three shots and seven hits in his return.
  - Samuel Bolduc made his NHL debut against the Leafs on Monday. The Islanders 2019 second round pick (57th overall) recorded a shot on goal, three attempts, three hits and a block in 14:28 TOI.
  "It was pretty amazing," Bolduc said of his NHL debut. "First it was realizing this is] my dream, but a couple of shifts in, I just came back to Earth and focused on the game."
  **ISLES AT SENATORS**
  **ISLANDERS ARTICLES**
  [3 Takeaways: TOR 5, NYI 2 OT
  This Day In Isles History
  Sam Bolduc Makes NHL Debut
  Islanders and Rangers Host Second Annual Alumni Classic
  Talkin' Isles: Mark Parrish
  GAME EXTRAS
  Pucks and Paws
  Reverse Retro Jersey
  Talkin' Isles
  - Jean-Gabriel Pageau began his career with the Senators, spending eight seasons with the team before arriving on Long Island at the end of the 2019-2020 season. Against his former team, Pageau has three points (2G, 1A) in five games, including a goal in the first meeting between the two teams this season on Nov. 14.

SENATORS NOTES:

• Despite holding a losing record overall (20-23-3), the Senators are above the NHL-.500 at home, with a record of 12-11-1.
  - Josh Norris will miss the remainder of the season after aggravating shoulder injury on Saturday night. According to Senators General Manager Pierre Dorion, the 23-year-old forward will require surgery. Norris missed 38 games this season after suffering the initial injury five games into the season, returning on Jan. 18. The forward was able to play three games, recording Ottawa's only goal on Saturday before aggravating the injury late in the game. Norris was the top goal scorer for the Senators last season, with 35 goals in 66 games.
  - Ridly Greig was recalled from the Belville Senators after recording 23 points (12G, 11A) for the team's minor league affiliate. "The plan was for Ridly at some point to be up here," Head Coach DJ Smith said. "With Norris going out, it's the perfect time to give him a look and see how he is."
  - Brady Tkachuk is hot for the Senators, with six points (2G, 4A) in his last four games. He leads the team in assists (30) and points (47).
  - The Senators power play ranks fourth in the league (26.3%).
  - Assistant Coach Bob Jones was diagnosed with ALS, the team announced on Tuesday morning. Jones will continue his coaching duties in his fourth season as an assistant coach with the Senators.
  "Bob and his family's wishes are to take the courageous step of making his condition public in an effort to drive ALS awareness as he fights this disease," said Dorion. "He has the full support of the organization to take any time he needs away from the club during the season to concentrate on his health and his family."