Game Preview: Islanders vs Oilers

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (14-8-8) VS EDMONTON OILERS (13-14-1)

7:30 P.M. | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS

WATCH: ESPN+ | HULU

LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | 1050AM

After having their eight-game point streak snapped on Saturday, the New York Islanders look to start a new streak when they welcome in the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night at UBS Arena.

The Isles fell 5-3 to the Montreal Canadiens at Centre Bell, falling behind 4-0 by the end of the second and getting as close as 4-3 before Montreal iced the game with an empty-netter. Brock Nelson (2G) and Bo Horvat scored in the comeback bid, while Noah Dobson had three assists. It was the Islanders first regulation loss since Nov. 28, ending a 6-0-2 run. The Isles still have points in 14 of their last 16 games.

The Oilers are kicking off a Tri-State tour on Tuesday, taking on the Islanders before a back-to-back against the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers on Thursday and Friday respectively. The Oilers have dropped two straight games, falling 7-4 to Tampa Bay on Thursday and 5-1 to the Florida Panthers on Saturday. In Thursday’s defeat to Tampa Bay, the Oilers recorded a franchise record 57 shots on goal.

This is the second and final meeting between the Isles and Oilers this year. The Oilers won the first meeting 4-1 on Nov. 13, blowing open a 1-1 game with three third period goals in what was new Oilers’ Head Coach Kris Knoblauch’s first game behind the bench.

Overall, the Islanders are 12-1-2 in their last 15 home games against the Oilers.

ISLANDERS NOTES:

-    Bo Horvat was a full participant in Monday’s practice, a sigh of relief after Horvat was involved in a collision with Christian Dvorak late in Saturday’s loss. 

"I was kind of uncomfortable afterwards, but everything's fine," Horvat said on Monday. "I feel fine and ready to go for tomorrow."

Horvat is second on the Islanders in goals (12) and third in points (30) through 29 games this season and is riding a career-high 10-game point streak, with 16 points (7G, 9A) over that span. Head Coach Lane Lambert did not express concern about the status of the 28-year-old center after Monday's practice.

"I'm not concerned," Lambert said of Horvat. "He looked fine to me today."

-    Kyle Palmieri (maintenance) was absent from practice on Monday, but Lambert expects the 32-year-old forward to play on Tuesday night against the Edmonton Oilers.

Palmieri played in all 30 games this season, racking up nine goals and nine assists. He ranks fifth on the team in points (18) and is tied with Brock Nelson and Bo Horvat for the team lead in power-play goals (4).

Oliver Wahlstrom also missed practice with an illness on Monday. The 23-year-old winger has five points (2G, 3A) through 17 games this season. Wahlstrom has not played since Dec. 2.

-    Noah Dobson was named the NHL’s Third Star of the Week after recording eight assists over four games last week. Dobson had three assists on Saturday night, recording three points for the third time in his career – and third time in the past nine games. 

Per Islanders PR: It was a historic week for Dobson, who became just the second Islander blueliner in franchise history to record 27 assists through 30 games, and the first to achieve the feat since Denis Potvin did so in the 1975-76 campaign.

Dobson has 32 points (5G, 27A) this season, which is tied with Mathew Barzal for the most on the Islanders and is also tied with Edmonton’s Evan Bouchard for the third most among NHL defensemen. 

-    The Islanders have scored three-or-more goals in 15 of their last 16 games dating back to Nov. 15. The Islanders’ 3.75 goals per game over that span ranks fourth in the NHL.

-    Since Nov. 15, the Islanders power play is leading the league with a 33.3% conversion rate. The Islanders have scored a power-play goal in 11 of their 16 games over that span.

MORNING SKATE UPDATES

- Ilya Sorokin is expected to start against the Oilers. The netminder owns a 8-4-7 record along with a .912 SV% and a 3.15 GAA. 

- Kyle Palmieri joined the team for morning skate after taking a maintenance day on Monday. He has 18 points (9G, 9A) through 30 games this season. 

- Adam Pelech (upper-body, LTIR) and Scott Mayfield (upper-body, IR) were on the ice ahead of morning skate on Tuesday. 

- Stuart Skinner is anticipated to be between the pipes for the Oilers.

OILERS NOTES:

- The Oilers have turned a corner since hiring Kris Knoblauch on Nov. 12. Since the coaching change, Edmonton is 10-5-0 overall including 8-2-0 in the team’s last 10 games. Under Knoblauch, the Oilers are the highest-scoring team in the NHL, averaging 4.07 goals per game over that span.

- The Oilers power play is converting at 32.7% since Nov. 13, which leads the NHL. (The Oilers power play ranks second behind the Islanders from Nov. 15 onward.)

- The Oilers (27 points) are five points behind the Arizona Coyotes for the second Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, but Edmonton has two games in hand.

- Connor McDavid leads Edmonton with 41 points (11G, 30A) in 26 games this season. The Oilers captain is tied with Boston’s David Pastrnak for fifth in the NHL in points. McDavid is on a 12-game heater, with a league-leading 28 points (7G, 21A) since Nov. 20, when the streak began. Since the coaching change, McDavid has 31 points (9G, 22A) in 15 games.

- Defenseman Evan Bouchard has 32 points (8G, 24A) in 28 games for the Oilers, which is tied with Noah Dobson for the third most points amongst NHL defensemen. Since the coaching change, Bouchard has 20 points (5G, 15A). His 13 game-point streak came to an end on Saturday.

- Zach Hyman leads the Oilers with 18 goals and is fourth on the team with 30 points. Hyman is riding a three-game goal streak.

- Stuart Skinner is 11-8-1 this season with a 3.04 GAA, a .885 SV% and one shutout. Skinner won seven straight starts prior to Thursday’s loss against Tampa.