Game Preview: Islanders vs Ducks

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (17-11-3) VS ANAHEIM DUCKS (19-10-1)

7 PM | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS

WATCH/STREAM: MSGSN | GOTHAM SPORTS APP

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

The New York Islanders will host the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night. It is the middle of a three-game homestand.

The Islanders defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 5-4 in the shootout on Tuesday night, with Emil Heineman netting the lone goal in the fourth round of the shootout to secure the two points for New York.

The Isles were down 2-0 with just under four minutes left in the first period, but Bo Horvat found the back of the net in the final minute of the first period to kick off a comeback that saw the Isles on the winning side of a back-and-forth game. Horvat led the way with a pair of goals, Marc Gatcomb and Simon Holmstrom were the other goal scorers in regulation and 10 other Islanders skaters in total tallied at least one point on the night. Ilya Sorokin made 33 saves on 37 shots.

“First of all, how resilient we were down 2-0,” Head Coach Patrick Roy said after the win. “What I love about our group is [that] we didn’t change anything.”

The Isles have now won nine come-from-behind games this season. They have also won four of their last five games, each against a Stanley Cup champion in the last decade.

ISLANDERS PROJECTED LINEUP

Here’s how the Islanders lined up against Vegas on Tuesday. Check back on Thursday morning to see how the Isles line up for morning skate.

Emil Heineman – Bo Horvat – Max Shabanov
Anders Lee – Mathew Barzal – Jean Gabriel Pageau
Anthony Duclair – Cal Ritchie – Simon Holmström
Kyle MacLean – Casey Cizikas – Marc Gatcomb

Matthew Schaefer – Ryan Pulock
Adam Pelech – Tony DeAngelo
Travis Mitchell – Scott Mayfield

PAGEAU RETURNS TO THE LINEUP

Jean Gabriel Pageau returned to the Islanders lineup on Tuesday night. Pageau recorded one shot in 18:58 TOI in his first game back from injury and won 18-of-27 faceoffs (66.6%). He skated on a line with Mathew Barzal and Anders Lee.

Pageau has 12 points (6G, 6A) and is averaging 15:33 TOI/GP through 23 games played this season.

CIZIKAS’ LINE BRINGS ENERGY

The Islanders’ line of Kyle MacLean, Casey Cizikas and Marc Gatcomb has been a force as of late, as the trio combined for seven points (4G, 3A) in their last four games. Cizikas leads the trio with three points (2G, 1A), and both MacLean and Gatcomb have two points (1G, 1A) in those games.

"It’s always positive when we can contribute,” Gatcomb said after Tuesday’s game. “As a line, our mindset just stays the same ... we’ve just been working hard, and I think it shows.”

Beyond just points, this line’s physical play has made a difference in games. Gatcomb has distributed the sixth-most hits (22) in the NHL this month, including a team-high nine on Tuesday.

"They brought a lot of energy to our team,” Roy said. “That intensity that they have, shift after shift after shift, ... that’s impressive.”

PULOCK PINNACLES

Ryan Pulock enters Thursday night with an assist in each of the last two contests and leads the Islanders with 15 assists Pulock earned the Iron Man mask after the Tuesday night win. He recorded an assist and one blocked shot.

“He deserved it because he played a really strong game,” Roy said. “I mean come on. He played against Eichel pretty much all night long.”

Pulock has been paired with standout rookie Matthew Schaefer this season. He has been disciplined, taking only one penalty this season, accumulating a plus seven rating while playing all 31 games this season.

PERFECT PENALTY KILL CONTINUES

The Islanders’ penalty kill shut down all four opportunities Vegas had on Tuesday night, including a six-on-four opportunity.

“We killed that six-on-four, and then the three-on-four in overtime ... was pretty big as well,” Roy said.

The PK improves to 13-for-13 in December this year. They are one of two franchises, joining the Dallas Stars as the remaining teams to not allow a power-play goal this month.

The Islanders penalty kill went 5-for-5 against Vegas in the teams’ first meeting.

SEASON SERIES

This matchup is the first of two meetings between the Islanders and Ducks this season. The Islanders are 23-16-4-3 all-time against the Ducks, including 12-7-1-2 on home ice.

The Isles and Ducks will wrap the season series on Mar. 4 in Anaheim, California.

DUCKS NOTES

Anaheim is coming off a 4-3 win over the Penguins in a shootout on Tuesday night. The Ducks found themselves down a goal until Beckett Sennecke evened the game at the doorstep with 0.1 seconds remaining in the third period. The Ducks have won each of their last three games, including two in a shootout.

The Ducks have had one of the best starts to a season in the franchise’s recent history, posting a 19-10-1 record. This is the most wins through the first 30 games of the season since 2014-15. Anaheim currently sits at the top of the Pacific Division, with their last loss to an Eastern Conference opponent coming on Nov. 20 against the Ottawa Senators.

Anaheim has three players (Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier and Troy Terry) with over 30 points this season. Carlsson leads the way with 38 points (16G, 22A). Carlsson is tied with Jack Eichel and Mark Scheifele for the eighth most points in the NHL this season.

Sennecke has tallied a goal and an assist in each of his last three games. This is the second-longest multi-point streak by a Ducks rookie, tying him with Trevor Zegras and Ryan Getlzaf and only behind Paul Kariya. Sennecke has 26 points (10G, 16A) and seven multi-point games this season. He leads all rookies with 10 goals.

Cutter Gauthier (three games), Troy Terry (two games) and Jackson LaCombe (two games) all enter tonight’s game on point streaks. Gauthier has four points (1G, 3A) in that three-game stretch. Terry leads the team with 23 assists and LaCombe heads all Ducks defensemen with 17 points (4G, 13A).

Frank Vatrano is considered day-to-day. The right winger played in the shootout win over Pittsburgh, recording 9:48 TOI. He has 4 points (3G, 1A) in 30 games this season.

Lukas Dostal (upper body) remains on the injury reserve but is on the five-game road trip with the team. The 25-year-old goaltender last suited up on Nov. 22 with a 29-save overtime win over the Golden Knights.

The Ducks’ penalty kill is 27th in the NHL (75.5%), but has shown improvement as of late, as they rank 12th in the month of December (83.3%). The Ducks have killed 15 of their last 18 penalties.

The Ducks’ power-play is 20th in the league (18.6%). However, in December, their power-play is11.8% as they scored twice in their last 17 man-advantage opportunities.