Reilly Returns, Islanders Face Panthers In Final Matchup Of Season: Lines & Notes
Mike Reilly plays in his first game since Nov. 1
ELMONT, NY — After dropping the first game of their homestand on Thursday, the New York Islanders (29-28-8) face the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers (41-22-3) for the final time this season.
Puck drop at UBS Arena is scheduled for 7:30, and the game can be found on MSGSN.
Florida picked up a 6-3 win in their last matchup with the Islanders on Feb. 2. Jakub Skarek made his NHL debut that night, but Carter Verhaeghe got the best of him, recording a hat trick in the victory.
Florida will play Sunday’s game on the second game of a back-to-back, falling to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday. Since they last met, Florida has undergone several changes. Forward Matthew Tkachuk will miss Sunday’s game and, most likely, the remainder of the regular season after a lower-body injury at the 4 Nations Faceoff. Defenseman Aaron Ekblad will also miss Sunday’s game, serving a PED suspension.
In his stead, the Panthers made a big deadline move, acquiring Brad Marchand from the Boston Bruins for a conditional second-round pick. With Marchand recovering from a lower-body injury, he will not play Sunday.
Defenseman Mike Reilly will play in his first game since Nov. 1 after working his way back from a heart procedure.
PROJECTED LINEUP:
Holmstrom-Horvat-Palmieri
Lee-Pageau-Duclair
Engvall-Cizikas-Fasching
Tsyplakov-MacLean-Gatcomb
Romanov-DeAngelo
Pelech-Dobson
Reilly-Pulock
Sorokin
Hogberg
Who’s Hot:
Casey Cizikas enters Sunday on a three-game assist streak against the Panthers. The Islanders’ center has four apples in that span. Maxim Tsyplakov has also impressed with the playmaking against the Panthers, tallying three helpers across their two meetings this season.
Lee enters Sunday’s game on milestone watch, sitting two points away from 500 in his NHL career. In 823 career games, the Islanders’ captain has 285 goals and 213 assists for 498 points. He can become just the 13th player to accomplish the feat.
Kyle Palmieri and Jean-Gabriel Pageau are tied for the lead in goals against the Panthers among active Islanders, owning nine each. Bo Horvat has eight assists against Florida to lead the team, and Pageau, a former Ottawa Senator, leads in total points with 16.
Ilya Sorokin is projected to start for the Islanders on Sunday. On Friday, he took a hard luck loss against the Edmonton Oilers, surrendering two goals on 35 shots in an overtime defeat. In six games against the Panthers, he is 2-3-1 with a 3.39 GAA and .902 SV%, making 42 saves on 45 shots in a win on Dec. 2, 2023, the last time he faced them.
Opponents Notes:
Sam Reinhart has a five-game point streak against New York entering Sunday’s game. The forward and Panthers’ leading goal-scorer has four goals and an assist in that span.
Sam Bennett has a five-game point streak coming in Sunday’s game after an assist against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday. The centerman has three goals and three assists for six points in that span. Rookie forward Mackie Samoskevich has also been hot for Florida, recording two goals and two assists in a three-game point streak.
Aleksander Barkov had three helpers the last time he faced the Islanders, the 19th of his career. He leads Florida players in scoring against the Islanders, boasting 11 goals and 15 assists for 26 points in addition to a three-game point streak. The Panthers’ captain has a goal and five assists for six points against New York in that span.
After Sergei Bobrovsky started Saturday’s game for Florida, Vitek Vanecek is likely to start against the Islanders. Vanecek was acquired in a deal with the San Jose Sharks at the Trade Deadline, pitching a 21-save shutout against the Buffalo Sabres in his first game with the Panthers. Against New York, the former New Jersey Devil and Washington Capital is 5-3-0 with a 2.93 GAA and .904 SV% in 11 games, most recently allowing four goals on 18 shots in a no-decision on Nov. 28, 2023 with the Devils.
PANTHERS LINES:
NOTES: Vanecek will start.
Complimentary Parking!
Once again for the 2024-25 season, those that drive a BMW can receive complimentary single-game parking in the Emerald Parking lot.
Please click the BMW | Islanders image below for parking registration information,
Playing out the string. Does Lou stay, if he does Why? It would be tough for Ownership to continue “In Lou We Trust” What made me upset was Barzel complaining about crowd size. Matt would you buy season tickets to see this crap? To me it would be better for Barzel to spend a Summer with Adam Oates than worry about attendance. You’re paid as a Superstar but you don’t perform and produce like one, even when healthy.