Game Preview: Islanders vs Wild

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (32-32-10) VS MINNESOTA WILD (41-28-7)

7:30 PM | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS

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LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | ISLANDERS + UBS ARENA APP

The New York Islanders continue their three-game homestand with a matchup against the Minnesota Wild on Friday night at UBS Arena.

The Islanders’ winless skid reached six games (0-4-2) on Tuesday with a 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Bo Horvat (SHG) scored his 25th goal of the season and Ilya Sorokin made 20 saves in the loss. The Isles have lost four straight games in regulation, allowing four-or-more goals in each contest.

The Wild fell 5-4 in overtime to the New York Rangers on Wednesday night. Gustav Nyquist (PPG), Brock Faber, Marcus Johansson (1G, 2A) and Marco Rossi scored in regulation for the Wild, but Vincent Trocheck lit the lamp 24 seconds into overtime to take the two points for the Rangers.

SEASON SERIES AND STANDINGS IMPLICATIONS

The Islanders (74 points) stand seven points back of the Montreal Canadiens, who hold the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference and climbed to 81 points after taking a 4-1 victory over the Boston Bruins on Thursday night. The Rangers (79 points), Columbus Blue Jackets (77 points) and Detroit Red Wings (75 points) stand between the Isles and Habs with eight games remaining in the regular season.

“We have our work cut out for us for sure,” Horvat said. “We have the team in here to do it. We can’t just fold and say ‘it’s over,’ there’s still a lot of hockey left to be played. We need these wins, and it starts tomorrow night.”

The Islanders dropped the first meeting of the season series 6-3 on Feb. 8 in what was both teams’ final game before the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off . It’s been a while since the Islanders have beat the Wild, as their last win against Minnesota came on Dec. 29, 2019. The Wild have an active seven-game winning streak against the Islanders.

MORNING SKATE UPDATES

- Scott Mayfield will draw back into the lineup on Thursday after missing six games as a healthy scratch. Mayfield has seven points (2G, 5A) in 58 games this season, along with 95 blocks and 78 hits.

- Matt Martin will return to the New York Islanders lineup on Friday against the Wild. The veteran winger has not played since Jan. 16, sitting 30 games as a healthy scratch. Martin draws back into the lineup in the absence of Anthony Duclair, who is taking some time off to reflect, per Head Coach Patrick Roy. In Duclair’s place, Max Tsyplakov skated on a line with JG Pageau and Simon Holmstrom, while Martin slotted in with Kyle MacLean and Marc Gatcomb in Thursday’s practice.

“I’m excited to get back in the lineup and play a game at home,” Martin said. “It means a lot, anytime you play with your teammates, it’s special. It’s been a while here, so to get in some game action, I can hopefully contribute.”

ISLES NOTES

- Horvat scored his second shorthanded goal of the season and 15th of his career on Tuesday against the Lightning. Horvat also scored a shorthanded goal on Jan. 5 against Boston. The center leads the Isles in scoring with 52 points this season.

- With 287 career goals, Anders Lee’s next goal will move him past Brent Sutter and Pat LaFontaine for sole possession of sixth on the franchise list.

- The Islanders allowed the first goal of the game in 9 of their last 11 games and a leauge-high 47 times this season.

- The power play struggled on Tuesday night, going 0-for-4 and generating one shot through eight minutes on the man advantage. The Isles power play (12.4%) ranks 32nd in the league. The lowest power play percentage recorded in franchise history is 13.2% in the 2000-01 season.

- The Islanders shorthanded units had a strong night on Tuesday, going a perfect 4-for-4 and producing a shorthanded goal. Since Jan. 1, the Islanders’ PK ranks fifth in the NHL (82.5%).

- The Islanders are 17-15-5 this season on home ice.

WILD NOTES

- The Wild hold the first wild card spot in the Western Conference with 89 points. Minnesota is 1-3-2 in their last six games, including a record of 0-0-2 in the first two games of their three-game road trip.

- Matt Boldy leads the Wild with 25 goals and 64 points through 76 games this season. The winger has four points (2G, 2A) in his last four outings and is five points shy of tying his career-high 69 points, set last season.

- The Islanders will not face Kirill Kaprizov on Friday, but the winger is making positive steps toward recovery after undergoing surgery for a lower-body injury on Feb. 1. As of Wednesday, Kaprizov is cleared for contact, per Wild Head Coach John Hynes. The Russian forward missed 26 games, including the first meeting between the Isles and Wild on Feb. 8.

- Defenseman Brock Faber ranks fourth in the NHL in ice time this season (25:22 TOI/GP).

- The Wild are 22-11-5 on the road this season, although they are 0-2-2 in their last four away games.

- Minnesota’s penalty kill ranks 31^st in the NHL (72.3%).