Game Preview: Islanders vs Lightning

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (21-17-12) VS LIGHTNING (27-19-5)

8 PM | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS

WATCH: ESPN

LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | 1050AM

The New York Islanders look to string together two wins in a row with a matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday at UBS Arena.

The Islanders are riding the high of a 3-2 win over the Maple Leafs in Toronto on Monday night in a game that allowed the Isles to sweep the season series (3-0-0) from the Leafs for the first time since the 1989-90 season. Pierre Engvall netted the game-winner against his former team, while Kyle MacLean scored his first NHL goal and Mathew Barzal buried his 14th of the season to lead the way for the Islanders. Ilya Sorokin made 35 saves in the win.

The Lightning saw a three-game win streak come to an end after a 3-1 loss to the New York Rangers on Wednesday night. Brandon Hagel scored the lone goal for Tampa Bay, while Jonny Brodzinski lit the lamp and Jimmy Vesey buried two goals for the Rangers, including an empty net at 18:59 to ice the game. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 21 saves in the loss. 

The Lightning are one of three teams the Islanders have not yet faced this season (the Rangers and Blues are the other two) and they will kick off the season series on Thursday. Last season, the Islanders went 1-2-0 against Tampa Bay.

“I have a pretty good idea about how they play,” Head Coach Patrick Roy said of the Lightning. “But the focus has to be on us. They played last night, but we know they’ll have a good start.”

MORNING SKATE UPDATES

- Casey Cizikas was removed from the team's IR list on Thursday morning. He skated for the fourth consecutive time with the team, as a full participant for the second straight day. The veteran center is expected to make his return to the lineup on Thursday against Tampa. He had missed 10 games with a lower-body injury.

- Kyle MacLean was loaned to Bridgeport, the Islanders announced on Thursday morning. The 24-year-old center played in six games and scored his first NHL goal on Monday against the Maple Leafs.

- Ilya Sorokin was the first goaltender off the ice for the Islanders, suggesting he'll get the start against the Lightning. Sorokin is 15-12-9 this season with a .910SV% and a 3.13 GAA.

- Jonas Johansson is the expected starter for the Lightning, who has a record of 10-6-5 this season. He is 0-2-0 through two career appearances against the Isles, playing both of those games as a member of the Buffalo Sabres in 2021.

THE MICHAEL KAY SHOW AT UBS ARENA

Prior to puck drop on Thursday, Islanders fans will have the special opportunity to come and watch ESPN’s the Michael Kay show live from 5 to 7 p.m.

The show will be broadcast outside of section 103 in the concourse near the Acrisure Great Hall. ESPN is running ticket giveaways, with two ice slots at The Park as prizes.

Please note that the Ticket Concierge opens at 5 p.m. to let fans in for the Michael Kay show, while regular doors at 6:30 for the 8 p.m. puck drop.

ISLANDERS NOTES

- The Islanders rank fourth in the Metropolitan Division with 54 points and trail the Philadelphia Flyers (58 points) by four points. The Isles have one game in-hand on the Flyers. Though the Isles are sitting outside the playoff picture, they aren’t far behind the Tampa Bay Lightning (59 points, 51 GP) and the Detroit Red Wings (58 points, 50 GP), who occupy the two wild card spots in the Eastern Conference.

- Casey Cizikas (LTIR, lower-body) is making steps toward returning to game action as the veteran center was a full participant on Wednesday, after spending Sunday and Monday’s skates in a non-contact jersey. Cizikas missed 10 games after he sustained an injury in the game against the Vancouver Canucks on Jan. 9. He is a game-time decision for Thursday's contest against the Lightning, per Head Coach Patrick Roy.

- Hudson Fasching (day to day, lower-body) did not practice on Wednesday. He missed two games after he suffered an injury in Montreal on Jan. 25. Fasching has eight points (3G, 5A) through 35 games.

- Pierre Engvall snapped an eight-game point drought by scoring the game-winner against his former team in the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday night.

- With a goal on Monday, Mathew Barzal tied Noah Dobson for the team lead in points (52). Only 28 other players in the league reached the 50-point mark so far this season.

- Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock, who both made their return to the lineup after their respective injuries, played together in a defensive pair for the first time since Nov. 24. As a result, Noah Dobson was able to catch a break with 23:15 TOI, which marks his lowest ice time since the pair was out.

- Kyle Palmieri has four points (2G, 2A) in his last three games. The winger has 29 points (13G, 16A) through 50 games this season.

- Simon Holmstrom is expected to play in his 100th NHL game on Thursday. The Swedish winger is finding success in his first full season with 18 points (12G, 6A) in 49 games, which shattered career-highs of three goals, six assists and nine points set last season through 50 games. Aside from the scoresheet, Holmstrom has also been finding confidence in his game this season and is looking forward to playing in his 100th NHL game.

“It’s a huge milestone for me, hopefully we can get a win,” Holmstrom said. “My confidence has just been growing in the past couple of months and [I’m] getting more ice time as well, which is really fun. I’m just trying to build on that.”

Read more about Holmstrom's path to 100 games and how his time in Bridgeport shaped him into the player he is today.

- The Islanders own a record of 12-6-7 on home ice this season and a record of 14-8-7 against Eastern Conference opponents.

LIGHTNING NOTES

- The Lightning won eight of their last 10 and stand in third place and occupy the first wild card spot in the Eastern Conference with 59 points. Tampa Bay returned from the All-Star break and headed straight into a back-to-back set, dropping the first half 3-1 to the New York Rangers on Wednesday night.

- Mikhail Sergachev was carried off on a stretcher after a reverse hit from Alexis Lafreniere in the second period. The defenseman was playing in his first game back after missing 17 with a lower-body injury. The 25-year-old has 19 points (2G, 17A) through 33 games this season.

- Erik Cernak made his return to the lineup on Wednesday night against the Rangers after missing seven games with an upper-body injury. The 26-year-old defenseman skated 22:40, registered a point and five hits in his return to game action and has six points (6A) and 95 hits in 40 games of the season.

- With Andrei Vasilevskiy between the pipes against the Rangers on Wednesday, Jonas Johansson is expected to start against the Islanders on Thursday. He is 10-6-5 in his first season with Tampa Bay with a .894 SV% and a 3.34 GAA. Johansson is 0-2-0 in two career games against the Islanders with a .878 SV% and a 4.53 GAA.

- Nikita Kucherov captured the NHL lead in points (86) with an assist on Wednesday night. The 30-year-old forward is riding a five-game point streak with 11 points (4G, 7A) over that span. He has 32 goals and 54 assists in his 10th season with Tampa Bay.

- The Lightning own the league’s best power play (29.8%).