Game Preview: Islanders vs. Predators

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (6-10-5) VS NASHVILLE PREDATORS (14-10-1)
7:30 PM | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS
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The New York Islanders face the Nashville Predators on Thursday night at UBS Arena in the second meeting of the season between the clubs.

The Islanders enter the matchup fresh off a 5-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night and will look to continue that momentum as they are still in search of their first win on home ice. The win over the Senators was a much-needed boost for the group, who had gone 11 games (0-8-3) without a win and in turn, extended their point streak to four games (1-0-3).
Anders Lee boasted a two-goal night, while Oliver Wahlstrom, Kieffer Bellows and Jean-Gabriel Pageau all got on the board. Ilya Sorokin made 30 saves on 33 shots.
The Predators are coming off a 5-2 win over Detroit and have won five of their last eight games. Ryan Johansen (power play), Roman Josi, Nick Cousins, Eeli Tolvanen, and Dante Fabbro scored in the win, while David Rittich made 14 saves on 16 shots.
The Islanders and Predators last met on Oct. 30, where Nashville claimed a 3-2 win in the shootout. Anthony Beauvillier and Oliver Wahlstrom both scored on the power play, while Sorokin made 21 saves in the shootout loss.

ISLANDERS NOTES:

• Lee netted his fifth and sixth goals of the season. The Islanders captain now has six points on as many goals through 16 games this season. The two-goal effort was the 28th of his career and marks the most of any active player who has yet to record a hat trick.
• Wahlstrom tallied his eighth goal of the season and dished out an assist for a two-point outing. The sophomore winger now has nine points (8G, 1A) through 20 games.
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• Bellows netted his first goal of the season and handed out an assist. The winger has three points (1G, 2A) through eight games.
• Pageau scored his second goal in as many games and his third goal of the season. The centerman now has seven points (3G, 4A) through 20 games and is riding a three-game point streak (2G, 1A)
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• Mathew Barzal extended his point streak to four-straight games as he assisted on Lee's second goal. The 24-year-old center now has six points (1G, 5A) in his last four games and leads the Islanders in scoring with 14 points (5G, 9A) through 21 games.
• In addition to the goal scorers, a total of nine different skaters got on the scoresheet for the Islanders in their full-team effort.
• Sorokin made his 16th start of the season and improved his record to 6-6-4. The Russian goalie now has a 2.53 GAA, a .924 SV% and three shutouts.
• The Islanders allowed their fourth shorthanded goal of the season.
• Ross Johnston skated in his second-straight game as Matt Martin was a healthy scratch due to a "nagging" injury per Trotz.
• Anthony Beauvillier has not scored since the game at Nashville on Oct. 30. The winger has gone 13-consecutive games without a goal and 12-straight games without a point. Through 20 games this season, the winger has seven points (3G, 4A).
• When scoring first, the Islanders are 6-3-4 and are 0-7-1 when allowing the opening goal.
• In the faceoff circle, the Islanders are ranked eighth overall in the NHL at 52.1%.

PREDATORS NOTES:

• Johansen posted a three-point outing with a power-play goal and two assists. The centerman now has 22 points (7G, 15A) through 25 games.
• Josi netted his eighth goal of the season. The Preds captain leads his team's blueline in scoring with 24 points (8G, 16A) through 25 games. He is tied for third among NHL defensemen in scoring and is tied for second in goals.
• Tolvanen scored his second goal in as many games and his third goal of the season. Through 25 games this season, Tolvanen has eight points (3G, 5A).
• Rittich made his third start of the season and improved his record to 2-1-0. The Czech netminder has a 3.57 GAA and a .888 SV%.
• With Johansen's power play goal, the Predators' power play continues to be a strong point for the team who boasts a 23.6% that is ranked 10th best in the NHL.
• Matt Duchene leads the Predators with 13 goals this season, good for 11th in the league standings.
• Against Detroit, the Predators' lineup was without goaltender Juuse Saros and defenseman Mattias Ekholm - who were both out due to a non-COVID illness - and Matt Benning was sidelined with an upper-body injury. In their places, netminder David Rittich and defensemen Philippe Myers and Ben Harpur filled their places. With Saros out, the Predators had called up Connor Ingram from their AHL affiliate the Milwaukee Admirals due to Saros's non-COVID illness.