Game Preview: NY Islanders vs Detroit Red Wings

This afternoon, the NY Islanders look to win their sixth game in a row as they travel to Motown to take on the Detroit Red Wings at the Little Caesars Arena. The Red Wings (5-3-2) are going for their second straight after a 3-1 win over the Washington Capitals. It was a rebound victory for Detroit after getting blown out by the Buffalo Sabres 8-3 on Monday. The Isles are looking more like the team people expected them to be last season, are sitting in third place, and have the best goal differential (+14) in the Metropolitan Division.

Last Game

The Islanders are coming a 5-2 win against the St. Louis Blues. Weathering the storm against a desperate team that had lost five straight, the first period ended with the Isles down 1-0. In the second, the team exploded for four goals against goaltender Jordan Binnington, the first coming 14 seconds into the period when Noah Dobson found Kyle Palmieri for a goal to tie the game at one.

The Isles were just getting started. Brock Nelson, Josh Bailey, and Anders Lee would each pick up goals to extend the Islanders' lead to 4-1. While the Blues would get one back in the third, JG Pageau hit an empty net goal to seal the win and give the Islanders the victory, 5-2.

Ilya Sorokin stopped 32 of 34 shots for a save percentage of .941%. As anticipated during the off-season, he's asserted himself as the team's clear No.1 goaltender. Through 11 games, he's made eight starts compared to Semyon Varlamov's three. Lane Lambert has yet to name a starter for today's matinee in Detroit.

Historical Matchup

Last season, the Islanders met the Red Wings for the first time on December 4, 2021. The Islanders would go on to lose the game, 4-3 in overtime. Sorokin started in the net for the Islanders and wasn't able to lead his team to victory. However, last year was an outlier type of year with not a lot going right for them between the long road trip to open the season and the Covid protocol issues.

The Islanders would play the Red Wings again on December 14, where they would lose, 2-1, with Sorokin once again in the net. The final game against the Red Wings was on March 24, 2022, when the Islanders defeated the Red Wings, 5-2, at the UBS Arena. While history doesn't have the Islanders favored, this Islanders team is one with new leadership and a new vision and is already off to an incredible start.

Players To Watch

For the Islanders, Brock Nelson has been on an absolute tear recently. On the season, Nelson already has 13 points in just 11 games played. Nelson has five goals and eight assists. He also is on a four-game point streak, picking up five goals, and two assists in the process. Nelson continues to prove he is a pivotal part of this offense, and if this continues, the Islanders will be hard for any team to stop.

For the Red Wings, Dylan Larkin has been playing well recently. On the season, he is already at 13 points off of six goals and seven assists. He will be looking to extend his point streak to four games against the Islanders and has picked up three assists, and two goals in the process. Larkin is the Red Wings' main star on offense and the Islanders will need to contain him if they hope to continue their win streak.

Projected Lines

Islanders

Josh Bailey- Mat Barzal- Oliver Wahlstrom Anders Lee- Brock Nelson- Anthony Beauvillier Zach Parise- J.G. Pageau- Kyle Palmieri Matt Martin- Casey Cizikas- Cal Clutterbuck

Adam Pelech- Ryan Pulock Alexander Romanov- Noah Dobson Sebastian Aho- Scott Mayfield

Ilya Sorokin Semyon Varlamov

Red Wings

David Perron- Dylan Larkin- Lucas Raymond Elmer Soderblom- Andrew Copp- Adam Erne Dominik Kubalik- Michael Rasmussen- Filip Zadina Pius Suter- Joe Veleno- Matt Luff

Ben Chiarot- Moritz Seider Olli Maata- Filip Hronek Robert Haag- Gustav Lindstrom

Ville Husso Alex Ndeljkovic