UBS Keys to the Game: Islanders vs Wild

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (15-15-6) VS MINNESOTA WILD (26-10-3)
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The New York Islanders will play three games in four nights as they head into the All-Star break, starting with their second-and-final meeting against the Minnesota Wild on Sunday night at UBS Arena. Minnesota scored a 5-2 comeback win over the Islanders on Nov. 7, scoring four unanswered goals in the third period rally.

The Islanders enter Sunday's game off a 3-2 loss to the LA Kings on Thursday. Down 2-0 in the waning minutes, the teams combined for three goals in the final 2:04, but the Islanders' comeback bid ultimately fell short. After alternating wins and losses in their last four games, the Islanders are looking for some traction before the break.
Minnesota comes into the game fresh off a 3-2 win over the New York Rangers on Friday. The Wild have won four in a row and are 7-1-1 in the New Year.

ISLANDERS NOTES:

• Mathew Barzal buried his ninth of the season against the LA Kings and second tally in as many games. The centerman leads the Islanders in scoring with 27 points (9G, 18A) through 33 games.
• Cizikas notched his third goal of the season vs LA and third goal in the last six games. The centerman has four points (3G, 1A) through 30 games.
• Varlamov made his 12th start of the season, while his record dropped to 3-8-1. The veteran Russian netminder has a 2.61 GAA and a .915 SV%.
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ISLANDERS VIDEO
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Belmont Hall: Pregame Trivia
Talkin' Isles
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Getting Here
Parking
• Kyle Palmieri was activated from injured reserve ahead of the game and returned to the lineup for the first time since Dec. 16. The winger played alongside Anthony Beauvillier and Brock Nelson in his return and logged 13:12 time on ice, fired off two shots on goal, threw one hit and was minus-one.
• The Islanders bested the Kings in the faceoff circle with their 55 FOW%. The Kings are sixth in the league in FOW% and the Islanders' jumped up to eighth (51.9%) following their productive night.
• An additional positive note on the injury front, was that Ryan Pulock, who is on LTIR, joined the team for morning skate, despite there still being no updated timeline for his potential return. The blueliner has been sidelined since Nov. 15 with a lower-body injury.
• After relinquishing the first goal of the game to LA, the Islanders' record when allowing the first goal to 3-11-2. Conversely, the Islanders Isles are 12-4-4 when scoring first.
• For the second time in the last three games, the Islanders allowed a last-minute buzzer-beater goal against. In total, the Islanders have now allowed eight goals in the last minute of a period this season - which excludes empty-net goals - including five with Varlamov between the pipes.
• Per team statistician Eric Hornick, the Islanders have allowed only 20 goals in their last 10 games (2.00 per game); it is the lowest goals against average in the NHL in that span, dating back to December 30th.
• The Islanders are 7-3-0 in their last 10 games and 10-5-1 in their last 16 games.
• With Palmieri's activation came the news that forward Austin Czarnik was placed on IR, retroactive to Saturday, Jan. 22 (upper body).

Video: Game Trailer: Islanders vs Wild

WILD NOTES:

• Kirill Kaprizov has points in his last 10 games, with 18 points (7G, 11A) over that span. Kaprizov, the reigning Calder Trophy winner, leads the Wild with 50 points (17G, 33A) in 38 games and is ninth in NHL scoring. Kaprizov will represent the Wild at the NHL All-Star Weekend on Feb. 4-5.
• Mats Zuccarello is also on a 10-game point streak, also with 18 points (5G, 13A) over that span. Zuccarello has recorded six-straight multi-point games.
• Kevin Fiala is also on a 10-game point streak, with 13 points (8G, 5A). Fiala and Zuccarello's 10-game streaks are the longest in team history.
• Cam Talbot will represent Minnesota at NHL All-Star Weekend on Feb. 4-5. Talbot is 17-8-1 this season with a 2.92 GAA, a .917 SV% and no shutouts. Talbot has won his last two starts.
• The Wild are averaging 3.79 goals per game, third in the NHL. Minnesota scored eight goals against the Montreal Canadiens on Jan. 24 and seven goals against the Anaheim Ducks on Jan. 14.
• Minnesota is 6-0-0 against the Metropolitan Division and 11-1-2 against the Eastern Conference.
• Matt Dumba played his 500th NHL game on Friday night.