UBS Keys to the Game: Islanders vs. Coyotes

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (13-13-6) VS ARIZONA COYOTES (10-24-4)7:30 PM | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETSWATCH: MSG+ | MSG GO | ESPN+LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | 1050AM
The New York Islanders look to keep the momentum going in a crucial stretch, as they begin a seven-game homestand against the Arizona Coyotes on Friday night at UBS Arena. The game will also be the team's Military Appreciation Night and the first 10,000 fans will receive a military appreciation hat, presented by Ford.

The Islanders showed resolve as they battled to pick up back-to-back wins against the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday and Tuesday night, with their most recent win coming in a dramatic 4-3 victory after nine rounds of a shootout. Robin Salo scored his first NHL goal, while Josh Bailey and Casey Cizikas scored in regulation. Oliver Wahlstrom came through with the shootout winner and Semyon Varlamov was 'outstanding' with a 31-shot performance in regulation and nine-straight in the nail-biting shootout.
With the All-Star break on the horizon, the Islanders are entering this stretch of games with a determined mindset as they look to climb out of eighth place (32 points) in the Metro Division and are within reach of New Jersey (33 points) and Philadelphia (34 points) with at least six games in hand. The Islanders are also slated to finish their season with 11 back-to-back sets, including a set beginning with Arizona followed by the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday.
"Back-to-backs are mental more than anything else, it can be a grind when you're traveling and what not," Scott Mayfield said. "We've been pretty good at back-to-backs since [Islanders Head Coach Barry Trotz] has been here. It's something we've talked about quite a bit because we've got a lot of them. We focus on the first game and prepare shift-to-shift. It's about the game that's happening first and then, it's a mental grind that you just get through."
The Coyotes began their four-game road trip with their second-straight win as they defeated the New Jersey Devils 4-1 on Wednesday night. Dysin Mayo, Lawson Crouse, Travis Boyd and Johan Larsson scored while Karel Vejmelka made 35 saves on 36 shots.
The Islanders and Coyotes last met in October where the Islanders blanked Arizona 3-0 with Ilya Sorokin in net.

ISLANDERS NOTES:

• Salo scored his first career goal and his third NHL point (1G, 2A) with two of those points coming in the last two games.
ISLES VS COYOTES
ISLANDERS ARTICLES
3 Takeaways: Isles Beat Flyers 4-3 in Marathon Shootout
Islanders Hosting Hat & Glove Drive on Jan. 25
Questions and Isles: Meaning Behind Jersey Numbers
ISLANDERS VIDEO
Trotz Pregame: Coming Soon
Player Pregame: Coming Soon
GAME EXTRAS
Belmont Hall
Talkin' Isles
Isles STM Reserve List
Get Ready for Game Day
Getting Here
Parking
• Bailey scored his third goal of the season and his second goal in the last four games. The veteran winger has totaled 16 points (3G, 13A) through 27 games.
• Cizikas put away his second goal of the season and his second goal in as many games. The centerman has three points (2G, 1A) through 26 games. He and his 'Identity Line' linemates Cal Clutterbuck and Matt Martin are heating up as the trio has combined for six points (3G, 3A) in their last two games.
• Varlamov made his 10th start of the season and improved his record to 3-6-1 and has won three of his last four games. The veteran Russian goaltender has a 2.61 GAA, a .917 SV% and hasn't recorded a shutout yet this season. With his shootout win over Philadelphia, Varlamov improved to 34-20 in career shootouts, stopping 136 of 183 shots. His 74.3 SV% is the best in NHL history for any goalie who has faced 150 shootout attempts, per The Skinny, by Islanders statistician Eric Hornick.
• Mathew Barzal assisted on Salo's goal and increased his team lead in scoring to 23 points (7G, 16A) through 29 games.
• Wahlstrom's shootout winner snapped the Islanders' five-game losing streak in shootouts and marked the first goal of 16 shootout attempts by the team this season.
• The Islanders are 11-4-4 when scoring first and are 2-9-2 when allowing the opening goal.
• Ryan Pulock has exited the COVID list after being placed in protocols on Jan. 11. Pulock remains on long-term injured reserve (lower body) while Kyle Palmieri is still on IR (lower body).
• The Islanders are 3-2-1 in the front end of back-to-back sets and are 2-3-1 in the back end.

COYOTES NOTES:

• Mayo scored his third goal of the season and now has five points (3G, 2A) in 33 games and two points (1G, 1A) in as many games.
• Crouse and Boyd each buried their 10th goals of the season. Crouse has 20 points (10G, 10A) through 37 games this season, while Boyd has 18 points (10G, 8A) through 30 games. Boyd also has goals in back-to-back games.
• Larsson scored his sixth goal of the season and second in as many games. The Swedish winger has three points (2G, 1A) in his last two games. Through 26 games this season, Larsson has compiled 15 points (6G, 9A).
• Clayton Keller posted an assist and has three points (1G, 2A) in his last two games. The 23-year-old winger leads Arizona in scoring with 30 points (14G, 16A) through 38 games.
• Vejmelka made his 21st start of the season and improved his record to 6-14-1. The Czech netminder has a 3.10 GAA, a 9.10 SV% and one shutout this season.
• The Coyotes' lone goal they relinquished against New Jersey was a power-play goal. Their penalty kill ranks 30th in the NHL at 73.1%. On the flip side, Arizona's power play ranks 31st in the league at 12.6%.
• Arizona averages the second fewest goals for per game in the NHL (31st) at 2.26 GF/G. Conversely, the Coyotes give up the third most goals against per game at 3.61 GA/G.
• Arizona is 4-3-1 in the month of January.
• On the injury front, the Coyotes have Barret Hayton (hand), Jay Beagle (lower body), Carter Hutton (lower body), Connor Timmins (lower body), and Dmitri Jaskin on injured reserve. Ryan Dzingel was placed in COVID-19 protocols on Wednesday.