Game Preview: Islanders vs Oilers

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (9-12-6) VS EDMONTON OILERS (18-12-1)
2PM | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS
WATCH: MSG+ | MSG GO | ESPN+
LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | 98.7FM
The ball may have dropped at midnight, but the puck drops at 2 p.m.
The New York Islanders look to start 2022 on a winning note, as they take on the Edmonton Oilers in matinee action at UBS Arena.

The Islanders enter the New Year with points in their last three games (2-0-1) and fresh off a convincing 4-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday. The three-game point streak includes a pair of regulation wins over teams the Islanders are chasing - Buffalo and Boston - as they look to get back into the playoff picture. The Islanders are 3-0-1 in their last four games on home ice.
"We wanted to get that first win at home and ever since then we've been trying to build off that and keep collecting points," Noah Dobson said. "We know where we're at in the standings right now, but we're just trying to focus on each game and collecting points and keep building our game. We've been stringing together a couple good games the last few here."

After Saturday's game, the Islanders will go on an 11-day break, as the team's four-game road trip to the Pacific Northwest and Canadian Rockies was postponed by the NHL. The Islanders games against Vancouver (Jan. 5), Edmonton (Jan. 8) and Calgary (Jan. 11) were postponed by the league due to attendance restrictions in Canada. The Islanders game in Seattle (Jan. 4) was postponed as well due to the other schedule adjustments.
The Islanders have now had 10 games postponed so far this season. Only the Nov. 28 game against the New York Rangers has been rescheduled (March 17). The Islanders previously had 10 days between their Dec. 19 game against Vegas and their Dec. 30 game against Buffalo.
The Oilers enter Saturday's game on the heels of a 6-5 OT loss against the New Jersey Devils on Friday.

ISLANDERS NOTES:

• Mathew Barzal led the way with a goal and two assists on Thursday night in a triumphant return after missing three games due to COVID-19 protocols. The three-point game gives Barzal 12 points (2G, 10A) in his last seven games, with four of those games being multi-point affairs. Barzal also took a game-high eight shots on goal on Thursday night, one shy of his career-high. The 24-year-old leads the Islanders with 20 points (6G, 14A) in 23 games.
  - Kieffer Bellows recorded a goal and an assist on Thursday night, recording the game-winning goal on a terrific end-to-end rush. After recording one assist in his first seven games of the season, Bellows now has six points (3G, 3A) in his last six games, including goals in two straight.
  ISLES VS OILERS
  ISLANDERS ARTICLES
  Four Isles Games Postponed
  3 Takeaways: Islanders 4, Sabres 1
  Dobson's Dominant December
  Isles DTD: Beauvillier and Wahlstrom Practice
  Fischler: 1975 Playoffs vs Rangers
  GAME EXTRAS
  Third Jersey Schedule
  Talkin' Isles
  Isles STM Reserve List
  Get Ready for Game Day
  Getting Here
  Parking
  - Noah Dobson also had a goal and an assist on Thursday, giving the defenseman eight points (4G, 4A) in 10 December games. Dobson's four goals tied for the league-lead among NHL d-men in December.
  - Anders Lee extended his point streak to four games (2G, 2A) with a power-play goal in the second period. The Islanders' captain is second on the team with nine goals this season.
  - Matt Martin and Robin Salo both returned to the lineup after missing one game due to COVID-19 protocols. Cal Clutterbuck and Zach Parise also both exited protocol and played on Thursday, but neither player had missed a game due to the Islanders' postponements.
  - Anthony Beauvillier and Oliver Wahlstrom both practiced with the team on Friday and could possibly return on Saturday. Both forwards previously entered COVID-19 protocol on Dec. 26.
  Head Coach Barry Trotz said Beauvillier and Wahlstrom could "possibly" be available for Saturday's matinee against the Edmonton Oilers.
  "One probably moreso than the other," Trotz said, not specifying which player.
  - Sebastian Aho was placed in protocol on Thursday. He and Brock Nelson are currently in COVID-19 protocol.
  - Michael Dal Colle made his season debut on Thursday night, playing 14:34 with two shots on a line with Bellows and JG Pageau. Dal Colle was called up from the taxi squad ahead of the game, along with Austin Czarnik, who played 12:22 and won five-of-seven draws, and Cole Bardreau, who did not dress.
  - The Islanders are 3-0-1 in their last four home games.
  - The Islanders power play has scored in three-consecutive contests and has converted in five of the team's last six games, going 5-for-15 (33%) over that span.
  - Saturday marks the first Islanders-Oilers game since Oct. 8, 2019, a 5-2 Edmonton win. The Islanders are 2-1-4 in their last seven games vs the Oilers.
  - The Islanders will wear their third jerseys for the first time this season on Saturday. The Islanders will wear their third jerseys 10 games this season.

OILERS NOTES:

• The Oilers are 0-1-1 to start their five-game road trip after Friday's OT loss. Kailer Yamamoto's second goal - and third point - of the game had Edmonton up 5-4 in the third period, but New Jersey tied the score in the final minute before winning in OT.
  - Darnell Nurse, Jesse Puljujarvi and William Lagesson returned to the Oilers lineup on Friday. All three players had been in COVID-19 protocol. Nurse is one of the NHL's ice time leaders, averaging 26:31 TOI/GP. Puljujarvi has 23 points (10G, 13A) in 29 games this season. Lagesson had an assist in his return.
  - Connor McDavid scored a pair of goals on Friday and is currently riding a four-game point streak with seven points (3G, 4A) over that span. McDavid leads the NHL with 52 points (19G, 33A) in 31 games this season. The two-point outing marked McDavid's 51st multi-point game in 2021, joining Wayne Gretzky (six times) and Mario Lemieux as the only players to accomplish the feat.
  - Leon Draisaitl is second in league scoring with 51 points (24G, 27A) in 31 games. Draisaitl was the first player to reach 50 points this season.
  - Mike Smith returned to the Oilers lineup on Dec. 29 after missing two-and-a-half months with an injury. Smith is 0-1-1 since returning and stopped 35-of-41 shots in the OT loss. Former Islander Mikko Koskinen is 12-6-0 this season with a 3.16 GAA and a .902 SV% this season and could start Saturday on the second game of a back-to-back.
  - The Oilers got off to a blazing 15-5-0 start to the season, but are 3-7-1 in the past 11 games.