Game Preview: Islanders vs Panthers

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (18-14-2) VS FLORIDA PANTHERS (15-15-4)
7:30 PM | UBS ARENA | 90S NIGHT
WATCH: MSGSN | MSGGO | ESPN+
LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | 1050 AM
The New York Islanders return home to UBS Arena for the first time since Dec. 10 as they take on Florida Panthers on Friday night (7:30 p.m., MSGSN).
The Isles went 1-2-2 on their five game road trip that took them to the northeast, southwest and back. The Isles are also playing the second half of a back-to-back after falling 5-3 to the New York Rangers on Thursday night at MSG.

The Panthers have dropped two straight heading into Friday's contest, most recently falling 4-2 to the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday.
The Islanders dropped both games with the Panthers earlier this season and are 0-4-1 in their last five games against Florida. The Isles have scored seven goals over those last five games.
It's both teams last game before the NHL's Christmas break. It's also 90s Night at UBS Arena and the candy prices are being rolled back to 50 cents.

ISLANDERS NOTES:

• Casey Cizikas left Thursday's game in the second period and did not return. Head Coach Lane Lambert did not have an update on Cizikas postgame. If Cizikas can't go on Friday, he'd be the fifth Islanders regular out of the lineup, joining Cal Clutterbuck (IR, upper body), Kyle Palmieri (DTD, upper body), Adam Pelech (IR, upper body) and Semyon Varlamov (DTD, lower body).
  - Lambert has not named a starter for Friday's game. Typically, the Islanders use both of their goaltenders in a back-to-back scenario, but with Semyon Varlamov day to day with a lower-body injury and Cory Schneider currently backing up Ilya Sorokin, there is a scenario where Sorokin could start both nights of the back-to-back.
  There is precedent, as Sorokin started on consecutive nights (Oct. 23 and 24, 2021) last season in Arizona and Las Vegas, recording a pair of shutouts before the Islanders went on a five-day break. The Islanders will have three days off for the NHL's Christmas break following Friday's game.
  The case for Schneider to start is both the veteran's strong play in Bridgeport this season (10-3-2 record, 2.51 GAA, .921 SV%) as well as his 30-save win over the New Jersey Devils on Apr. 3 last season.
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  - Brock Nelson has gone without a point for two games for the first time this season. Nelson still leads the Islanders with 15 goals and is tied with Mathew Barzal for first in points with 33.

PANTHERS NOTES:

• Like the Islanders, the Panthers are dealing with injuries heading into Friday's game.
  Aleksander Barkov (lower body), Patric Hornqvist (upper body), Anthony Duclair (lower body) and Radko Gudas (upper body) will all miss Friday's tilt. Barkov, the Panthers' captain, will miss his third straight game.
  Florida did get one reinforcement back on Wednesday, Anton Lundell returned to the Panthers lineup for the first time since Dec. 1.
  - The Panthers are 4-6-0 in their last 10 games and have lost two straight games. Florida has allowed 11 goals in their past two games.
  - The Panthers power play has goals in two of the team's last three games (2-for-6). Overall, Florida's power play is 26th in the NHL at 19%. Last season the Panthers power play was fifth overall in the NHL at 24.4%.
  - The Panthers are 27th in hits (647) and 29th (418).
  - Matthew Tkachuk leads the Panthers with 39 (14G, 25A) points in 31 games this season, but has gone three games without a point and only has two points in his last six contests.
  - Eric Staal has goals in consecutive games for the Panthers and three points (2G, 1A) in his last four games. The 38-year-old signed with the Panthers after not playing in the 2021-22 season.
  - Eetu Luostarinen is riding a three-game point streak (1G, 2A) and has three points (2G, 1A) in two games against the Islanders this season.