Game Preview: NY Islanders vs Anaheim Ducks

The NY Islanders are searching for their first win tonight when they face off against the Anaheim Ducks at UBS Arena.

Last Meeting

The Islanders fell to Matthew Tkachuk and the Florida Panthers in a 3-1 loss on Thursday night during their season and home opener. Noah Dobson was the Isles lone goal scorer (assisted by Brock Nelson and Mathew Barzal), beating Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky on the power play. Ilya Sorokin made 26 saves on 28 shots. Despite the struggles at 5on5, the Islanders' penalty kill went a perfect 5/5 against a dangerous Panthers power play.

The Ducks took on the Seattle Kraken Wednesday night, winning their home opener 5-4 in overtime, erasing a 4-2 deficit. Ryan Strome (1g,2a) and Troy Terry (2g,1a) each tallied three-point nights with Terry's third point coming on the game-winning goal in overtime. Trevor Zegras collected two points (1g,1a) in 18:09 of ice time. John Gibson made 44 saves on 48 shots. The Ducks converted on 2/3 power play chances on goals from Strome and Zegras.

Historical Matchup

The Islanders defeated the Ducks both times the two teams faced off against each other in the 2021-22 season. The Isles potted a total of eight goals and allowed just three between the two meetings. Kyle Palmieri collected two goals and an assist against his former and Ilya Sorokin collected two wins, including a 34-save shutout making 73 saves across both games.

In 40 meetings against the the Ducks all-time, the Islanders hold a 19-14-4 record.

Players to watch

- Alexander Romanov set a career-high record of nine blocked shots Thursday night, the second most blocked shots in a single game in franchise history. Romanov led the Islanders in time on ice with 22:24 and was a major factor in the Islanders' perfect 5/5 penalty kill.

- The Ducks Mason McTavish is one of a handful of favorites to win the Calder Trophy by the season's end. McTavish collected two primary assists in the Ducks' first game of the season, one at 5on5 and the other coming on the power play. the 2021 first-round pick is coming off a gold medal win at the World Junior Championship tournament this summer scoring eight goals and 17 points in seven games earning the tournament MVP honor.

Projected Lines

Islanders

Zach Parise-Mathew Barzal-Kyle Palmieri
Anders Lee-Brock Nelson-Anthony Beauvillier
Josh Bailey-JG Pageau-Oliver Wahlstrom
Matt Martin-Casey Cizikas-Cal Clutterbuck

Adam Pelech-Ryan Pulock
Alexander Romanov-Noah Dobson
Robin Salo-Scott Mayfield

Ilya Sorokin
Semyon Varlamov

*Per Andrew Gross via morning skate

Ducks

Adam Henrique-Trevor Zegras-Frank Vatrano
Mason McTavish-Ryan Strome-Troy Terry
Maxime Comtois-Isac Lundestrom-Jakob Silfverberg
Max Jones-Derek Grant-Pavol Regenda

Cam Fowler-John Klingerg
Dmitry Kulikov-Jamie Drysdale
Nathan Beaulieu-Kevin Shattenkirk

John Gibson
Anthony Stolarz