Game Preview: Islanders vs Bruins

NEW YORK ISLANDERS VS BOSTON BRUINS
5PM | NASSAU COLISEUM
TV: MSG+ | MSG GO | NBCSN | NHL.TV
LISTEN: 1050AM | 88.7FM | 103.9FM
After a 5-0 loss to the New York Rangers on Saturday night, the New York Islanders are looking to turn the page when they host the Boston Bruins in their home opener on Monday evening.
Saturday's contest got off to a bad start before the game even began, as Semyon Varlamov was injured during warmups - and didn't improve much beyond that. The Islanders took eight penalties, had four turnovers lead to goals and were out-attempted 65-38. It was an uncharacteristic night from a team with lots of character, so expect a bounce-back effort from a veteran squad.
"The game wasn't really lost in terms of the X's and O's, the game was lost in terms of the focus and the mindset we had going into the game," Head Coach Barry Trotz said of Saturday's defeat. "Our team has always been pretty resilient."

ISLANDERS NOTES:

• UPDATE: Semyon Varlamov will be available for Monday's game against Boston, according to Head Coach Barry Trotz.Varlamov left Saturday's game during warmups, but Trotz said both he and Ilya Sorokin would be available on Monday. Sorokin made his NHL debut in difficult circumstances, getting pulled into action 30 minutes before puck drop. Sorokin stopped 27-of-32 shots in his debut, though Trotz and his teammates felt they did the rookie goalie a disservice by mismanaging the puck in front of him.
  If Sorokin is to start, he'll have the benefit of the extra time to prepare and to go through his proper routine.
  - Trotz said to anticipate a similar lineup to Saturday, saying the group deserved some repireve. The Islanders' coach did not announce any of his potential changes.
  - Monday marks the Islanders home opener. Per Eric Hornick, the Islanders are 28-13-6 all-time in home openers, including 26-12-5 at the Coliseum. The Islanders have lost the past two home openers. Monday will also mark the Islanders first game at the Coliseum since March 7. The game won't have the usual rabid energy of a Coliseum contest without the fans, something Trotz and the players acknowledged and lamented a bit during their morning availability.
  "I don't think there's any advantage in any rink in the NHL right now," Trotz said. "Because the fans do have an important effect. We saw that in MSG, it's quiet in there... This whole season is way different than the bubble. It's a new experiencee for everybody, you have to bring your own sense of emotion, your own game every night, you're not going to get any help from the atmosphere."
  - The Isles are 1-7-2 in the last 10 meetings overall, winning only a shootout game in Boston 13 months ago. The Isles have not beaten the Bruins at home since 2013 (0-9-1, including 0-4-0 at the Coliseum).
  - Matt Martin is sitting at 2,997 career hits. Only four active players - including Cal Clutterbuck - have over 3,000 hits.
  - The Islanders were shorthanded eight times on Saturday, their most penalties since March 15, 2018. The Islanders went seven-for-eight on the penalty kill vs the Rangers.
  - Brock Nelson is four points shy of 300.

BRUINS NOTES:

• The Bruins are 1-0-1 after splitting a season-opening series with the New Jersey Devils. Boston won its opener 3-2 in a shootout on Thursday and fell 2-1 in OT on Saturday, losing with 1.7 seconds to play in the extra frame.
  - The Bruins' defense has a different look this season, as both longtime captain Zdeno Chara and all-star Torey Krug left in free agency. Chara spent 14 seasons and 1,000 games in black and gold, captaining the Bruins to a Stanley Cup in 2011. Krug spent seven full seasons with the Bruins, racking up 337 points (67G, 270A) in 523 games. Chara is now in Washington, while Krug inked a seven-year deal in St. Louis.
  With those departures, Charlie McAvoy and Jeremy Lauzon make up the Bruins' top pairing, while Brandon Carlo and Matt Grzelcyk are slotted as number two. McAvoy, who led the Bruins in TOI last season, is averaging 26:34 TOI/GP through two games this season.
  - David Pastrnak will not play on Monday, as the winger is still recovering from arthroscopic hip surgery. Pastrnak, who led the Bruins with 48 goals and 95 points last season, has been skating in a non-contact jersey with the team and is targeting a February return.
  Despite his absence, linemates Brad Marchand (1G, 2A) and new Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron (1G, 1A) have points in each of the Bruins' first two games. UPDATE: Jake DeBrusk is projected to skate on Boston's top line on Monday.
  - The Bruins do not have a five-on-five goal through two games this season. Boston has scored twice on the power play and once shorthanded.
  - Craig Smith, who signed a three-year deal with Boston, made his Bruins debut on Saturday, skating 17:07 with two shots on goal. Smith played nine seasons with the Nashville Predators, reaching the 20-goal mark in five of the past seven seasons, while also posting 18 in last year's abbreviated campaign. Smith did not practice on Sunday, but if he plays, he'll be on the Bruins third line with Charlie Coyle and Andres Bjork. UPDATE: Smith is in per the Bruins' projected lines.
  - Ondrej Kase left Saturday's game in the first period with an upper-body injury and did not return. Bruins' coach Bruce Cassidy called Kase "doubtful" for Monday, per
  Eric Russo of the Bruins official site
  . UPDATE: Kase is out for the Bruins. Jack Studnicka will take his place on the second line.