Game Preview: New York Islanders clash with Minnesota Wild in crucial matchup

The New York Islanders will visit the Minnesota Wild at the Xcel Energy Center on Saturday night. The Isles are hanging tough in the Metro Division looking to gain ground on the Columbus Blue Jackets for fourth place in the division.

Entering Saturday night’s action, the Islanders are four points off a playoff spot and looking to close in on the Detroit Red Wings for the second wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference.

Catch all the action on MSG+ and ESPN+. Puck drop is at 8 pm EST.

LAST GAME

The New York Islanders are coming off a tough loss on Friday night. The Isles dropped a close 4-3 decision to the Winnipeg Jets at the Canada Life Centre. The Islanders led the game 2-1 in the second period but eventually fell behind 4-2 after 40 minutes.

The Islanders got a huge goal from Kyle Palmieri in the third, but just couldn’t close the gap to tie the game. Jets’ Vezina-caliber goalie Connor Hellebuyck made several key stops down the stretch to shut the door on the Isles’ hopes.

Meanwhile, the Wild are coming off a hard-fought 2-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night. Filip Gustavsson made 37 saves for the win, stopping Carolina’s potent attack.

HISTORICAL MATCHUP

Saturday night’s tilt marks the first time the Wild and Islanders meet this season. The next time these two clubs meet will be on April 4 at UBS Arena.

Over their last 10 meetings, the Wild have dominated the Islanders winning six in a row. The last time the Isles met the Wild, the Wild pulled off a 5-0 win at home. In fact, we have to go back to 2019 to see the last time the Islanders beat the Wild. The Isles notched a 3-1 win on the road on December 29, 2019. The Isles got three third-period goals from Ryan Pulock, Matt Martin, and Tom Kuhnhackl to seal the victory.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

For the New York Islanders, backup netminder Jakub Skarek should get the call after Ilya Sorokin started on Friday night against the Jets. Skarek’s only appearance this season was a 6-3 loss to the Florida Panthers on February 2. Skarek held tight despite allowing five goals. He made 32 saves in the losing effort.

For the Wild, the biggest absence will be leading scorer Kirill Kaprizov who underwent surgery earlier this week. As such, expect players like Matt Boldy to step up and pick up the slack for the Wild. Also, veterans Mats Zuccarello and Marcus Foligno could play a key role in leading the Wild’s offense.