Game Preview: Islanders vs Maple Leafs

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (12-3-1) VS TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (9-6-4)
7 PM | NYCB LIVE | BUY TICKETS
WATCH: MSG+ | MSG GO | SN
LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | 1050AM
ISLANDERS FOOD DRIVE
The Islanders (12-3-1) are looking to extend their point streak to 13 games as they take on the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday at NYCB Live.
The Isles are coming off of a 2-1 victory over the Florida Panthers on Saturday. Mathew Barzal and Scott Mayfield scored while Thomas Greiss turned away 37 shots. Jordan Eberle suited up on Saturday for his first game since Oct. 12 after suffering a lower-body injury. Nick Leddy played returned to the lineup after missing three games with a lower-body injury.

Toronto (9-6-4) is coming off of back-to-back losses including a 3-2 shootout loss to Philadelphia on Nov. 9 and a 5-4 road loss to Chicago. The Maple Leafs came back from a 3-0 deficit to put themselves within one goal of the Flyers in the third period, but their late effort came too late. William Nylander scored twice, and the Maple Leafs had power-play goals from John Tavares and Andreas Johnsson. Michael Hutchinson made 29 saves.
Last season, the Isles went 2-1-0 against the Maple Leafs. The Isles claimed the first meeting 4-0, at Toronto, on Dec. 29, highlighted by Barzal's natural hat trick. The Isles routed the Maple Leafs 6-1 on Feb. 28. Toronto claimed the final meeting 2-1 on April 1.

MORNING SKATE UPDATES:

• Semyon Varlamov was the first goalie off of morning skate. Varlamov is the projected starter to play against the Maple Leafs. Varlamov has made eight starts this season and posted a record of 5-2-1.
  - Leo Komarov took line rushes and resumed his spot on right wing, which shifted Derick Brassard back to center. Head Coach Barry Trotz said Leo is possible to return to the lineup tonight for the first time since Oct. 17.
  "We haven't made that decision yet," Coach Trotz said. "We'll go back in there and double check with him and see where he is tonight."
  - Otto Koivula, Andrew Ladd and Noah Dobson stayed on the ice for extra work implying that the trio will likely be healthy scratches.

ISLES NOTES:

• The Isles 12-game point streak is the longest streak in the Post-Cup era. The Isles also had a 12-game streak in 1979-80 and a 15-game streak in 1978-79, 1980-81 and 1981-82.
  - Barzal registered two points (1G, 1A) to overtake the Isles leaderboard in points (14) and goals (7). Barzal has points in back-to-back games. Barzal's plus-12 rating is fifth best in the NHL.
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  - Mayfield scored his second goal of the season in the third period as he beat Panthers netminder Sergei Bobrovsky with a point shot. Mayfield has four points (2G, 2A) through 16 games this season.
  - Devon Toews assisted on Mayfield's goal. Toews has a team-high eight assists this season. Through 16 games, the sophomore blueliner has 10 points.
  - Greiss earned his seventh win of the season on Saturday. Greiss has posted a record 7-1-0 and earned a league-high save percentage of .942 and a league-low goals against average of 1.88.
  - Semyon Varlamov is due up in the Islanders goalie rotation. Varlamov has a record of 5-2-1 and is ranked 10th among goaltenders in the League with his .924 save percentage his 2.37 goals against average.
  - The Isles power play went 0-for-3 against Florida. The Isles power play is ranked 20th in the league with a conversion of 17.8%.
  - The Isles have had the lowest power play opportunities in the NHL with 28.
  - The Isles penalty kill went 3-for-4 against Florida. The Panthers sole goal was scored on the power play. In the League, the Isles penalty kill is ranked eighth in the league at 85.1%. The Isles have scored three goals shorthanded this season, which is tied with seven other teams for third best in the NHL.
  - Casey Cizikas practiced with the Islanders on Tuesday after missing Sunday's session. Cizikas left Saturday's game in the third period after blocking a shot from Aaron Ekbald and took a maintenance day on Sunday. Trotz confirmed that Cizikas would be available against Toronto.
  - Andrew Ladd completed his conditioning stint in Bridgeport on Monday and will be available for Wednesday night's game. Ladd was loaned to Bridgeport for conditioning on Nov. 2 and played five games with the Sound Tigers, recording one goal in Sunday's 2-1 loss to Belleville. Ladd is currently recovering from ACL surgery and hasn't played an NHL game since March 24.
  - Leo Komarov was activated from IR on Tuesday. Komarov missed eight-straight games, as he's been out since Oct. 19 with an illness and neck injury. Through seven games this season, Komarov has three assists and is plus-two, while shifting between center and right wing.
  - Eberle returned to the Isles lineup on Saturday for the first time in 10 games after suffering a lower-body injury on Oct. 12. Eberle resumed his right-wing spot alongside Mathew Barzal and Anders Lee. Eberle logged 14:41 TOI, four shots and two blocks.
  - The Isles are ranked second in the Metropolitan Division with 25 points.

TORONTO NOTES:

• William Nylander scored his sixth and seventh goals of the season on Sunday. Through 19 games this season, Nylander has 15 points (7G, 8A). Nylander has four points (3G, 1A) in the past two games.
  - Tavares returns to Long Island for the third time with his new team on Wednesday. The Maple Leafs captain has 11 points (5G, 6A) in 12 games. Tavares missed seven games with a broken finger from Oct. 16 to Nov. 5.
  - Auston Matthews had four assists against Chicago. Matthews leads the Maple Leafs in goals (13) and points (25). Matthews' 13 goals are ranked third best in the league and his 25 points is ranked sixth best in the NHL. Matthew's plus-nine rating is 10th-best in the league.
  - Frederik Andersen has been Toronto's go-to goaltender. Andersen has a record of 9-2-3, a goals against average of 2.62 and a save percentage of .916.
  - The Maple Leafs power play went 2-for-5 against Chicago. In the League, Toronto's power play is ranked 19th with a conversion percentage of 18.2%.
  - Toronto's penalty kill went 4-for-5 against the Blackhawks. In the NHL, the Maple Leafs penalty kill is ranked 23rd at 77.1%.
  - Winger Mitch Marner is out 4-6 weeks with a lower-body injury during the second period against the Flyers on Nov. 9. Marner is expected to be out for at least four weeks. Marner leads Toronto in assists with 14 and is ranked ninth in the NHL for assists.
  - The Maple Leafs 52.8 faceoff percentage is ranked third best in the NHL.
  - The Maple Leafs are ranked second in the Atlantic Division with 22 points.