UBS Keys to the Game: Islanders vs. Stars

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (25-24-9) VS DALLAS STARS (33-23-3)2:00 PM ET | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS WATCH: MSG+ | MSG GO | ESPN+LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | 1050AM
The New York Islanders look to extend their point streak to six games (4-0-1) as they take on the Dallas Stars in a Saturday matinee at UBS Arena. The game will be the first leg of a back-to-back set.

The Islanders collected two points on St. Patrick's Day in what Head Coach Barry Trotz called "playoff-type game" as the Islanders edged the New York Rangers 2-1 on Thursday night. Ilya Sorokin was sensational in the win and clinched the top play on Sportscenter's Top-10 with a highlight-reel stick save on Artemi Panarin as part of his 29 save-performance. Anders Lee (power play) and Kyle Palmieri continued their scoring streaks in the win.
After dropping three-straight games, Dallas got back in the win column with a 4-3 overtime win over Montreal on Thursday night. John Klingberg (2G, 1A) scored the OT winner as well as the game-tying goal late in the third period, while Radek Faksa and Jamie Benn (1G, 2A) also found the back of the net in regulation. Jake Oettinger made 28 saves on 31 shots in the win. The Stars (69 points) are one point back of the Vegas Golden Knights (70 points) for the second Wild Card in the Western Conference. Dallas has four games in hand on Vegas.
This season, the Islanders have faced every team in the NHL except the Dallas Stars. Dallas will become the final Western Conference team to visit UBS Arena.
This will be the first meeting between the clubs since February 4, 2020, where Anthony Beauvillier's overtime goal lifted the Islanders to a 4-3 victory at Barclays Center.

ISLANDERS NOTES:

• Sorokin made his 40th start of the season and improved his record to 21-12-7 as he won his fourth-straight start. The Russian netminder has a 2.30 GAA, a .926 SV% and six shutouts this season.
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• Lee put away his 23rd goal of the season - and team-leading seventh on the power play - and became the first Islander to score in six-straight contests (nine goals) since Michael Grabner did so in 2011 with the game's icebreaker early in the second period. With the goal, Lee claimed sole possession of 11th on the Islanders all-time goal list (207) as he surpassed John Tonelli and overtook sole possession of 18th on the all-time points list (350) in franchise history by passing Frans Nielsen. Through 51 games this season, the Islanders captain has produced 30 points (23G, 7A).
• Palmieri buried his 11th goal of the season and fourth goal in the last three games. The winger also extended his point streak to six games where he has picked up seven points (4G, 3A) in that stretch. Through 45 games this season, Palmieri has totaled 21 points (11G, 21A) in that span.
• Noah Dobson dished out an assist and now has three points (3A) in his last two games and has points in 14 of his last 19 games. Since the all-star break the 22-year-old blueliner has produced 18 points (4G, 14A). In that span, Dobson leads the team in both assists and points and is also third among NHL defenseman points. Through 56 games this season, Dobson has compiled 35 points (10G, 25A), the most among the Islanders' blueline.
• The Islanders power play was 1-for-3 against the Rangers while their penalty kill was 2-for-3. In the NHL, the Islanders' power play ranks 20th at 19.6%, while their penalty kill checks in at eighth 82.9%.
• The Isles have scored the first goal in 10 of the last 13 games after allowing the opening goal in 11 of the prior 12 games. The Islanders are 20-6-5 when scoring first and are 5-18-4 when allowing the opening goal.
• In back-to-back sets, the Islanders are 6-4-1 in the front end and 4-6-1 in the back end.

STARS NOTES:

• Klingberg posted a three-point outing with his two goals and one assist. The Swede leads Dallas' blueline in scoring with 34 points (4G, 30A) through 52 games.
• Benn registered a three-point outing with his goal and two helpers. The Dallas captain now has 34 points (15G, 19A) through 59 games.
• Faksa broke a 40-game goal drought as he scored his third goal of the season and now has 14 points (3G, 11A) through 54 games.
• Oettinger made his 30th start of the season and improved his record to 20-9-1. The 23-year-old owns a 2.47 GAA, a .917 SV% and one shutout this season.
• Goaltender Adam Scheel backed up Oettinger as Braden Holtby is tending to a lower-body injury and is unable to back up right now.
• Tyler Seguin dished out an assist and is one goal shy of scoring 300-career goals as he sits at 299. The centerman has 33 points (18G, 15A) through 58 games.
• The Stars were 0-for-4 on the power play, while their penalty kill was 4-for-5 against Montreal. In the NHL, Dallas ranks 12th on the man advantage at 22.9%, while their penalty kill ranks 18th at 78.5%.
• With the overtime win, the Stars improved to 9-1 in OT and 12-3 total.
• On the injury front, goaltender Anton Khudobin underwent hip surgery on Monday and is expected to be out for six months. Defenseman Miro Heiskanen is expected to be out for weeks with mononucleosis.