Game Preview: Islanders vs Predators

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (26-25-7) VS NASHVILLE PREDATORS (21-30-7)

12:30 PM | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS

WATCH: MSGSN | MSG+ | ESPN+

LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | ISLANDERS + UBS ARENA APP

The New York Islanders are back at home and ready to take on the Nashville Predators at UBS Arena in matinee action.

In a gutsy effort, the Islanders pulled off a 2-1 win over the Boston Bruins on Thursday night at TD Garden. Alexander Romanov and Kyle Palmieri scored for the Islanders, while Ilya Sorokin made 38 saves in a bounce-back effort.

Saturday marks the first home day game of the season and Head Coach Patrick Roy said a 12:30 p.m. start is beneficial for his team’s recovery, especially during a busy schedule.

“It gives your guys the rest of the day to rest,” Roy said. “Schedule-wise, the day comes fast but the recovery is very good for your next game. We’re in [a stretch of] six games in 10 days, it’s good for us to be ready to play at 12:30 and be good for the next couple of games.”

The Predators are also coming off a 2-1 win, as they took down the Winnipeg Jets on home ice, which put an end to Winnipeg’s franchise-long, 11-game winning streak. Filip Forsberg and Tommy Novak (PPG) scored for Nashville and Juuse Saros made 22 saves.

SEASON SERIES

The Predators are the only team the Isles have not faced yet this season. Last year, the Islanders went 1-1-0 in the season series against Nashville including a 2-0 victory at UBS Arena where Semyon Varlamov pitched a 42-save shutout.

ISLES NOTES

- Noah Dobson made his return to game action on Thursday after missing 11 games with a lower-body injury. The defenseman recorded 18:54 TOI and skated on a pair with Adam Pelech. Roy said he’s keeping his defense pairings the same for Saturday’s contest against Nashville, meaning that Scott Perunovich and Scott Mayfield are expected to be healthy scratches on Saturday.

- Hudson Fasching will start the game on a line with JG Pageau and Casey Cizikas against the Predators on Saturday, per Roy. Fasching made his return to action on Thursday against the Bruins after missing 17 games. He skated 9:47 on Thursday and was elevated the Pageau line mid-game after starting the game with Kyle MacLean and Marc Gatcomb.

- Pierre Engvall will draw back into the lineup after missing Thursday as a healthy scratch, while Max Tsyplakov will come out, per Roy. Engvall is expected to skate on a line with MacLean and Gatcomb.

- The team announced on Friday that Mike Reilly has been officially cleared for contact. He participated in an optional practice on Friday and has worn a non-contact jersey for the past several team skates.

- Kyle Palmieri has four goals in his last five games, including the game-winner against the Bruins on Thursday. He ranks third on the team in scoring with 39 points (18G, 21A).

- Brock Nelson is riding a four-game point streak with five points (1G, 4A) in his last four games.

- Casey Cizikas played his 873rd career game on Thursday, passing Clark Gillies for sole possession of sixth place in franchise history.

PREDS NOTES

- The Predators are kicking off a three-game road trip that starts with Long Island and also makes stops against the Rangers and Bruins. The Predators have struggled on the road this season with a record of 6-18-4. They’re one of four teams in the NHL with fewer than 10 road victories. The others are the Buffalo Sabres (9), Chicago Blackhawks (6) and San Jose Sharks (6).

- The Predators had a busy offseason, acquiring forwards Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei. Stamkos is having a down year with 33 points (17G, 16A) through 58 games this season, as the former Tampa Bay Lightning captain had three consecutive 80-plus point seasons including a 106-point campaign for Tampa in 2021-22. Marchessault is having a productive first season with Nashville, with 45 points (18G, 27A) through 58 games, which ranks second on the team in scoring.

- Skjei also joined the Predators this season and has 21 points (7G, 14A) through 58 games. Skjei has seen plenty of the Islanders in his career - which includes four seasons with the Rangers and four with the Carolina Hurricanes - as the defenseman has 12 assists through 28 career appearances against the Isles but has not recorded a goal.

- Filip Forsberg leads the team in scoring with 22 goals and 54 points.

- Nashville recalled Kieffer Bellows from their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals on Feb. 21. Since his recall, the 26-year-old played in two games – his first two games with the Predators - including Thursday’s 2-1 win over the Jets. Bellows signed with Nashville over the offseason and racked up 29 points (14G, 15A) with the Admirals this season. Bellows spent parts of five seasons in the Islanders organization after he was drafted 19^th overall by the Islanders in the 2016 NHL Draft.

- The Predators rank 10^th in the NHL on the penalty kill (80.9%).