Morning Skate Updates: Islanders at Wild

The New York Islanders are set to face off against the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night at 8 p.m. (MSG+, 970AM, The Answer, 88.7FM - WRHU, 103.9FM - LI News). Read the Game Preview here.

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Wild Lineup Notes:

Click here for the lineup from the Wild's last game.

Casey Cizikas Makes Trip With Islanders:

Casey Cizikas joined the Islanders on their two-game road trip to get more skating in before the team's five-day break (Jan. 1-5).
Cizikas skated on Wednesday and Thursday
and head coach Jack Capuano said there's a small chance Cizikas could play on Saturday. The Isles forward has been out since Dec. 15 with an upper-body injury.
"He's going to skate today to get some conditioning in and maybe do a little battle work down low with [Adam Pelech]," Capuano said. "We'll see how they both feel. We have a day of practice tomorrow again. If he's feeling better there could be a chance on Saturday, but we'll have to play it by ear."

Fast Times at the Minnesota High School Hockey Tournament:

Xcel Energy Center always holds a special place in the hearts of Brock Nelson and Anders Lee, as the pair of Minnesota-born Islanders competed there in the state's legendary high school hockey tournament.
The tournament is a big deal in Minnesota and the championship games draw sellout crowds (18,000+) at Xcel. Lee won a state championship in his freshman year and Nelson played in the tournament three times.
"In my freshman year we were able to win the State championship and it was a wonderful experience," Lee said. "Every year coming back and playing here in front of 18K fans for a high school game is pretty impressive."
"Playing down here at the State tournament, at the time it's pretty special for all the kids that grow up here," Nelson said. "We got to do it three years in a row and we never won it, but having that time with friends from back home is pretty neat."