Game Preview: Islanders vs Red Wings

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (3-3-0) VS DETROIT RED WINGS (5-2-0)

UBS ARENA | 7 PM | BUY TICKETS

WATCH/STREAM: MSGSN | GOTHAM SPORTS APP

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

The New York Islanders shoot for a fourth-straight win when they host the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night at UBS Arena.

The Islanders got their third straight win with a 4-3 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night. Matthew Schaefer had a multi-point game (1G, 1A), including the game-winning goal, while Bo Horvat (PPG), Casey Cizikas and Emil Heineman (PPG) scored for the Islanders. Ilya Sorokin made 33 saves for his second win of the season.

The Red Wings’ five-game winning streak came to an end on Wednesday night with a 4-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. J.T. Compher and rookie Emmitt Finnie scored for Detroit, while John Gibson made 27 saves.

SHABANOV OUT VS RED WINGS

Max Shabanov will not play on Thursday night and is considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury, per Head Coach Patrick Roy.

The Russian winger had a maintenance day on Wednesday. He notched an assist in 10:15 TOI on Tuesday, but missed the second half of the third period. Shabanov has three points (1G, 2A) in his first six NHL games.

With Shabanov out, Simon Holmstrom took line rushes in his spot on Wednesday. Kyle MacLean is expected to draw into the Islanders lineup.

ISLANDERS PROJECTED LINEUP

Jonathan Drouin - Bo Horvat - Emil Heineman
Anthony Duclair - Mathew Barzal - Kyle Palmieri
Anders Lee - Jean-Gabriel Pageau - Simon Holmstrom
Kyle MacLean - Casey Cizikas - Max Tsyplakov

Adam Pelech - Ryan Pulock
Adam Boqvist - Tony DeAngelo
Matthew Schaefer - Scott Mayfield

David Rittich
Ilya Sorokin

RITTICH TO START

David Rittich will get his second start as an Islander against Detroit, per Head Coach Patrick Roy.

Rittich made 33 saves in his Isles debut, backstopping the Isles to a 4-2 win over Edmonton on Thursday. Rittich is 4-0-1 lifetime against Detroit, with a .926 SV% and a 1.68 GAA.

ROMANOV OUT VS RED WINGS

Alexander Romanov (day to day, upper body) is ruled out against Detroit and is also expected to miss Saturday’s game against Philadelphia. The team announced on Thursday morning that he was placed on injured reserve, retroactive to Oct. 16.

The defenseman missed the last two games and was not on the ice for practice on Wednesday. Romanov recorded 12 blocked shots and 15 hits in four games this season, last in action on Thursday.

ON THE BRINK OF… EVEN MORE HISTORY

If Matthew Schaefer records an assist on Thursday, he’ll establish a new NHL record with the longest point streak to begin a career by a defenseman.

Schaefer is already the youngest defenseman in NHL history with a point in each of his first six games, the youngest defenseman to score a game-winning goal and the youngest defenseman with a multi-point game.

SEASON SERIES

The Islanders went 0-3-0 last season against Detroit. The season series wrapped early, as the teams have not met since Nov. 25, 2024.

ACROSS THE ICE

The Red Wings are looking to turn things around this season after missing the postseason for the ninth straight year. After dropping the first game of the season with a 5-1 loss to Montreal, Detroit strung five wins together boosting themselves to a tie for first in the Altanic Division.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Captain Dylan Larkin is atop the team leaderboard with 12 points (5G, 7A) through seven games this season and sports a plus-nine rating.

Rookie Emmitt Finnie been productive in his first seven NHL games, with six points (3G, 3A) in his first seven NHL games. The 20-year-old had a three-point game (2G, 1A) on Sunday against Edmonton.

TALBOT TO START FOR DETROIT

Cam Talbot will get the nod on Thursday night with John Gibson starting in the first half of the back-to-back set for Detroit.

Talbot is off to a hot start this season, with a 3-0-0 record along with a 1.78 GAA and a .932 SV%. He's got solid numbers against the Islanders too - an 8-3-1 lifetime record along with a .922 SV% and a 2.52 GAA.

KANE OUT

Patrick Kane (upper-body) will not face the Islanders on Thursday, as he did not travel with the team for the two-game road trip.

IMPROVED PK

After finishing last season with the league’s 32^nd ranked penalty kill (70.1%), their shorthanded units have had a bounce-back effort through the first seven games of the season (88.9%) which ranks sixth in the NHL.