The New York Islanders took the ice for an optional morning skate ahead of their contest against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Head Coach Pete DeBoer confirmed that his team is expected to line up the same way they did in Wednesday's practice. He also confirmed that Tony DeAngelo, who missed six games with a lower-body injury, will make his return to action. DeAngelo has 33 points (5G, 28A) through 72 games this season.
See below for attendance at the Isles optional skate on Thursday:
OPTIONAL SKATE ATTENDANCE
Forwards: Casey Cizikas, Anthony Duclair, Marc Gatcomb, Emil Heineman, Simon Holmstrom, Bo Horvat, Kyle MacLean, Ondrej Palat, Cal Ritchie
Defensemen: Adam Boqvist, Isaiah George, Alex Romanov
Goalies: David Rittich, Ilya Sorokin
DEBOER TO DEBUT
DeBoer will make his formal introduction to Isles Nation tonight, as the new bench boss is looking forward to an electric home crowd to kick off his Islanders tenure.
"I'm ready to go. I've been sitting around for a year waiting for this," DeBoer said after Thursday's optional session. "I've always admired this fanbase from the visiting side. Great energy in this building, great fans. A lot of passion. I'm just really excited."
