• Oliver Wahlstrom did not practice with the team on Wednesday. He exited Tuesday's game against Pittsburgh after only skating 24 seconds, following a hit from Pierre-Oliver Joseph in the first period.
Hudson Fashing filled in on the top line in Wahlstrom's absence on Tuesday night, recording an assist in 12:38 TOI.
• Anders Lee extended his point streak to three games (2G, 2A) and Brock Nelson had two assists in Tuesday night's win over the Penguins. "Our line is playing really good hockey," Lee said. "We're finding pucks, finding each other. Beau and Brock are skating really well and we're all just working off each other really well."
• Noah Dobson notched an assist in Tuesday night's win over Pittsburgh, extending his point streak to three games (3A). The 22-year-old is fourth on the Islanders in points (24) and is tied for second in the NHL in goals (10) among defensemen.
• The Islanders penalty kill stands fifth in the NHL (81.8%), while their power play has continued to struggle, going 0-for-25 in their last eight contests.
• The Islanders are on the doorstep of a wild card spot with 42 points, one point behind the New York Rangers (19-12-5) and one point behind the Pittsburgh Penguins (19-10-5). The top six teams in the Metro are all within 10 points.
• The Islanders opened the season series against the Blue Jackets on a high note, with a 4-3 OT win on Dec. 12. Brock Nelson netted a pair of goals in the win with Zach Parise burying the overtime winner. New York followed up with another victory against Columbus on Nov. 25, winning 3-2 in regulation.
• Casey Cizikas is set to play in his 700th NHL game on Thursday, all with the Islanders. Cizikas will become the 11th player in team history to play 700 games with the club. The 31-year-old center played on the wing in the Isles win over the Penguins on a line with JG Pageau and Zach Parise. Despite the wing assignment, Cizikas still took 10 faceoffs, going 7-3 at the dot.
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Isles DTD: Wahlstrom Misses Practice
Questions and Isles: Beach or Lake
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"As a winger you have to be in the right spots, you have to make sure you're giving your D an outlet, make sure that you're giving your centerman a chance to get under and a chance to get the puck and it's just playing hard," Cizikas said. "It's definitely different. But it's a challenge."
• Brock Nelson is set to appear in his 713th game with the Islanders, passing Patrick Flatley for sole possession of ninth place on the franchise's all-time games played list.
