Game Preview: Islanders vs Kraken

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (12-8-2) VS SEATTLE KRAKEN (11-5-5)

5 PM | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS

WATCH/STREAM: MSGSN | GOTHAM SPORTS APP

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

The New York Islanders wrap up a back-to-back set on Sunday evening when they host the Seattle Kraken at UBS Arena.

The Isles are looking to bounce back after a 2-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Saturday afternoon. Anders Lee scored the lone goal for the Isles, who fell behind 2-0 to the Blues and couldn't complete a late rally. The home loss came on the heels of a strong 6-1-0 road trip and dropped the Isles record at UBS Arena to 4-4-1.

The Kraken are coming off a 3-2 OT win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night. Brandon Montour scored the OT winner, while Matty Beniers and Mason Marchment scored in regulation for Seattle. Seattle has won two straight games and is 4-1-0 in their last five games.

RITTICH TO START

Head Coach Patrick Roy announced David Rittich as the starter for Sunday’s game against the Kraken. Rittich is 5-2-0 this season with a 2.99 goals against average and a .896 save percentage. Rittich boasts a 2.76 GAA and a .904 SV% at UBS Arena this season. In five career games against the Kraken, Rittich is 4-1-0 with a 2.58 GAA and .853 SV%.

PROJECTED LINES

The Islanders will not hold a morning skate on Sunday, so any lineup news will come closer to puck drop. Roy tinkered with his lines as Saturday's game wore on, notably moving Max Shabanov to a line with Jonathan Drouin and Mat Barzal. See below for how the Islanders started Saturday's game.

Emil Heineman - Bo Horvat - Kyle Palmieri
Jonathan Drouin - Mathew Barzal - Simon Holmstrom
Anders Lee - JG Pageau - Anthony Duclair
Casey Cizikas - Cal Ritchie – Max Shabanov

Matthew Schaefer - Ryan Pulock
Adam Pelech - Tony DeAngelo
Adam Boqvist - Scott Mayfield

BACK TO BACK

Both teams are playing the second half of a back-to-back set on Sunday, as the Kraken played on Saturday night in Pittsburgh.

The Islanders are 1-3-0 in the first game of back-to-back sets this season and 3-0-0 in the second game.

The Kraken are 0-2-0 on the second half of back-to-back sets this season.

KRAKEN NOTES

The Kraken are looking to return to the playoffs after a two-year absence, but are off to a good start, currently sitting third in the Pacific Division with 27 points.

Lane Lambert is in his first season as the Kraken's Head Coach. Lambert previously served as the Islanders Head Coach from 2022-24, going 61-46-20 over two seasons, and spent four years as the Islanders Associate Coach (2018-22). Lambert spent last season as an Associate Coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Ryker Evans is on a three-game point streak with four points (1G, 3A) over that span.

The Kraken own the league's 31st ranked penalty kill, converting at 70%. The Kraken have allowed a power-play goal in nine straight games, killing 20 of their last 29 penalties.

The Kraken are 31st in the NHL with a 45.1 FOW%

The Kraken are 8-3-2 when scoring first.

DACCORD LIKELY TO START FOR SEATTLE

Joey Daccord is likely to start in goal for the Kraken. This season, Daccord is 7-3-3 with a 2.78 goals against average, .900 save percentage and a shutout. Seattle’s goaltender is 2-0-0 against the Islanders with a 2.00 GAA and a .925 SV% in those games. Against Eastern Conference opponents, he is 23-18-8 all-time and 1-2-3 this season.