NY Islanders finish Western Canada part of seven game road trip in Vancouver

The New York Islanders continue their seven-game road trip later tonight when they visit the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena. Face-off is set for 10:00 PM EST.

The Isles are 2-2-1 through the first five games of its seven-game road trip and looks to rebound from a 4-2 loss to the Calgary Flames on Saturday. The Islanders are seeking a stronger finish to the trip after alternating wins and losses so far.

The Islanders held a spirited practice Sunday in Vancouver, with an emphasis on limiting turnovers after being burned in transition against Calgary. “We let up too much last game,” captain Anders Lee said. “We focused on resetting our structure and our thought process, getting back into our D zone. At the end of the day, we just have to take care of the puck a little bit more.”

Ilya Sorokin is expected to start in goal for New York. Sorokin is coming off a 35-save shutout in a 1-0 win over Edmonton on Thursday and enters the night 15-11-2 with a 2.47 goals-against average, a .915 save percentage and a league-leading five shutouts. His appearance will be the 282nd of his career, tying Chico Resch for third-most in franchise history.

Max Tsyplakov is expected to re-enter the lineup after sitting out Saturday, replacing Max Shabanov. Tsyplakov, who has one goal in 24 games this season, skated on a line with Cal Ritchie and Emil Heineman at practice. “I want him to play his game,” coach Patrick Roy said. “Bring pucks to the net, play well defensively. That’s his DNA.”

Marc Gatcomb, who spent two seasons in Vancouver’s organization at the AHL level, could make his first NHL appearance at Rogers Arena. The Islanders trail the season series 1-0 after a 4-1 loss at UBS Arena on Dec. 19, but they are 6-0-3 in their last nine visits to Vancouver.

The Canucks enter on a 10-game winless streak (0-8-2) and were shut out 6-0 by Edmonton on Saturday. Vancouver owns the league’s worst home record at 4-13-3 and has scored just 17 goals during the skid. Elias Pettersson leads the Canucks with 29 points, while Kiefer Sherwood has a team-high 17 goals. Thatcher Demko remains sidelined with an injury.