Game Preview: Islanders vs Rangers

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (20-13-4) VS NEW YORK RANGERS (19-16-4)

6 PM | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS

WATCH/STREAM: MSGSN | GOTHAM SPORTS APP

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

The New York Islanders are coming out of the NHL’s holiday break with a bang, hosting the New York Rangers on Saturday at UBS Arena.

The Islanders went into the break on a high note, snapping a three-game winless skid with a 2-1 win against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night at home. Adam Pelech broke a 1-1 tie late in the third period after Simon Holmstrom scored the equalizer for the Islanders in the second period. David Rittich stopped 31 of 32 shots for his eighth win of the season.

Like the Islanders, the Rangers are also coming off a win in their last game before the holiday break. Five unanswered third period goals helped the Rangers blow past the Washington Capitals after they trailed 3-2 after 48 minutes. Taylor Raddysh (2G, 1A), Vincent Trocheck (2G, 1A), Will Cuylle (1G, 2A), Artemi Panarin (1G, 1A) and Alexis Lafrenière (1G, 1A) scored in the win while Igor Shesterkin made 29 saves in the win.

PROJECTED LINEUP

See below for how the Isles lined up for Tuesday’s contest against the Devils and check back for updates on Saturday.

Anders Lee – Mathew Barzal – Simon Holmstrom
Jonathan Drouin – Jean-Gabriel Pageau – Emil Heineman
Anthony Duclair – Cal Ritchie – Max Shabanov
Kyle MacLean – Casey Cizikas – Marc Gatcomb

Matthew Schaefer – Ryan Pulock
Adam Pelech – Tony DeAngelo
Marshall Warren – Scott Mayfield

STANDINGS UPDATE

The top six teams in the Metro are separated by five points, so Saturday’s contest has huge implications in the standings.

Head Coach Patrick Roy said postgame on Tuesday that the standings will become ultra important from here on out – the Islanders rank third in the Metropolitan Division with 44 points, two points behind the first-place Carolina Hurricanes (47 points) and one point behind the second-place Philadelphia Flyers (45 points), as it stands after the holiday break.

The Rangers (42 points) aren’t too far behind, as they stand in sixth place in the Metro, chasing the Capitals (43 points) and Florida Panthers (42 points) for wild card spots in the Eastern Conference.

HORVAT UPDATE

Bo Horvat (lower-body) is taking positive steps toward returning. He skated in a non-contact jersey in Monday’s practice and Tuesday’s morning skate.. Horvat leads the Islanders in scoring with 31 points (19G, 12A) through 32 games.

SOROKIN EXPECTED TO RETURN

Ilya Sorokin is expected to be available on Saturday after he missed Tuesday’s game with a minor nagging injury.

Sorokin is 12-10-2 this season with a 2.55 GAA, a .910 SV% and three shutouts. One of those shutouts came against the Rangers in a 5-0 win on Nov. 8.

Check back later for official confirmation on Saturday’s starting goalie.

SUPER STAT

Holmstrom’s goal on Tuesday marked the 13,000^th goal in franchise history.

SEASON SERIES

The Islanders shut out the Rangers 5-0 in the first meeting of the season on Nov. 8, which snapped a five-game winless streak against the Rangers. It also kicked off a seven-game road trip that saw the Isles winning six of seven.

RANGERS NOTES

The Rangers are a powerful road team, as their 14 road wins lead the NHL.

Adam Fox (upper-body) has missed 12 games but is nearing return. The defenseman, who complied 26 points (2G, 23A) through 27 games this season, practiced with the Rangers in a non-contact jersey for the past week. His status against the Islanders is unknown, but Saturday is the first day the defenseman is eligible to come off Long Term Injured Reserve (LTIR).

J.T. Millier (week-to-week) is ruled out for Saturday’s contest. The Rangers captain last played on Dec. 20 against Philadelphia and has 22 points (10G, 12A) through 35 games this season.

Artemi Panarin leads the Rangers in scoring with 38 points (14G, 24A) through 38 games this season.

The Rangers are a solid team in the dot this season, as their FOW% ranks third in the NHL (54.2%).