Game Preview: NY Islanders vs. Detroit Red Wings 3/4/2023

Coming off their 2-1 shootout loss against the Minnesota Wild, the NY Islanders look to get back in the win column as they face the Detroit Red Wings in a pivotal game for the blue and orange. With the Red Wings just five points behind the Islanders in the standings, a win is crucial in the race for one of two Eastern Conference Wild Card positions.

Last Game

The Islanders last played on Tuesday, losing a well-played game in a shootout to the Wild in Minnesota. In the first period, Scott Mayfield and Otto Koivula assisted on Josh Bailey's first goal in 24 games but it would be the only goal they would score. Ryan Reaves had the Minnesota goal, his first of the season, and the isles failed to convert any of their shootout attempts once again. as they failed to pick up the second point, losing the game, 2-1.

On the other side of things, the Red Wings have lost their past four games, most recently against the Seattle Kraken on March 2. Ben Chiarot, Adam Erne, Jonatan Berggren, and Jake Walman each picked up a goal in this game, but the Red Wings would still fall in overtime to the Kraken, 5-4.

Historical Matchup

This will be the third time this season that the two teams meet. The first game came back in early November when the Islanders would fall to the Red Wings, 3-0 in a shutout. After a scoreless first period, Lucas Raymond would pick up a powerplay goal, followed by an even-strength goal by Pius Suter. Dominik Kubalik would score one goal halfway through the third period to put the game away.

The second time these two teams faced came on January 27, when the Islanders would shut out the Red Wings this time around. Off of goals by Islanders captain Anders Lee, and Brock Nelson, the Islanders would come away with the 2-0 win. Ilya Sorokin had a strong showing, picking up 23 saves in the process.

Player To Watch

For the Red Wings, the player to watch is Andrew Copp. Over the course of the past five games, Copp leads the Red Wings with three assists, four points, and a +/- of 2. Copp is always a force on the ice, regardless of the circumstance. He seems to find teammates at ease with the puck and picks up plenty of assists to show for it.

On the Islanders side, Brock Nelson has been on an absolute tear as of late. Nelson leads the team with three goals in his past five games, and has also picked up two assits in the process. On the season, Nelson has 27 goals and 33 assists, tallying a total of 60 points. Nelson is one of the cornerstones of the Islanders offense, and look for him to have a big role in today's game.

Projected Lines

Islanders

Anders Lee- Bo Horvat- Pierre Engvall Zach Parise- Brock Nelson- Kyle Palmieri Matt Martin- Casey Cizikas, Hudson Fasching Josh Bailey- Otto Koivula- Simon Holmstrom

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

Ilya Sorokin Semyon Varlamov

Red Wings

Dominik Kubalik- Dylan Larkin- Lucas Raymond Robby Fabbri- Andrew Cobb- David Perron Jonatan Berggren- Joe Veleno- Filip Zadina Adam Erne- Pius Suter- Jordan Oesterle

Jake Walman- Moritz Seider Olli Maata- Ben Chiarot Robert Hagg- Gustav Lindstrom

Magnus Hellberg Alex Nedeljkovic