NEW YORK ISLANDERS (25-16-5) @ EDMONTON OILERS (23-16-8)
9 EST / 8 CT | ROGERS PLACE | MSGSN / SPORTSNET
New York, still on the road, heads up further northwest to Edmonton to play this Thursday night. The Islanders experienced their first regulation loss in five games after Tuesday’s 5-4 loss to Winnipeg.
Edmonton came away with a point on Tuesday in their second back-to-back falling to the Nashville Predators with a 4-3 overtime loss.
This will be the second meeting between the Islanders and Oilers. New York won in UBS 4-2 on Oct. 16. The Isles have not won in Edmonton since Mar. 7, 2017, and the Oilers have scored four games in the last three contests between the two organizations at Rogers Place.
Ilya Sorokin is expected to start for the third game in a row. He will try to bounce back after allowing five goals for the first time this season on Tuesday. He boasts a 3-3-2 lifetime record against the Oilers with a 2.35 GAA, .932 SV%, and one shutout.
Tristan Jarry, returning from the LTIR tonight with teammate Jake Walman, is 3-0-1 since being acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins on Dec. 12. Jarry was swapped with Edmonton’s starter, Stuart Skinner, who has been doing great in his own right. However Edmonton opts for Connor Ingram between the poles tonight, coming off a great win in Chicago.
New York will need continued production from Casey Cizikas and Ryan Pulock if they are looking to come away with a win in Rogers Place. Ryan Pulock, with 19 assists on the season, surpassed his prior two season totals already. He ranks second on the team behind his defensive partner, Matthew Schaefer, in scoring. After reaching 20 points on the season with an assist to Anthony Duclair on Tuesday night’s loss he improved to fifth overall for helpers by a defenseman with 180 assists, tying Noah Dobson. Casey Cizikas has five points in his last four games (3G, 2A), this is the second time this season the 34-year old collected a point in three games of a four game span.
Leon Draisaitl, against the Islanders, has produced a six game point streak seeing eight goals and four assists. The German ranks behind Jack Hughes (10), and Jake Guentzel (9) for third overall in goals scored against Sorokin. He enters tonight one shy of 600 career assists with 67 points on the season (25G, 42A).
Connor McDavid enters tonight with a 20-game point streak (19G, 27A), the longest of any player this season. He can become the fifth player in the last 33 years to have a 21-game point streak, the last successful player to do this was Mitch Marner in the 2022-23 season with a 23-game point streak. He became the third Oiler in franchise history to reach a 20-game point streak following the likes of Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey.
McDavid leads the NHL in points scored (82), assists (52), and ranks second in goals scored (30). Matthew Schaefer in 46 games has 13 goals, 17 assists, and 30 points at only 18 years of age. The Erie Otters have to be very proud of two alumni being NHL unicorns. There’s got to be something in that lake!
The Oilers have been cashing in on the powerplay, they own the top percentage in the league at 33.8% and have scored on the man-advantage in the last five out of six games. New York has had a fun season and got the first one against the slow Edmonton start early on in the season. This is a different arena, different team, different play. The Isles will have to fire on all cylinders if they want to win this one.
Check out all EasySportz NHL Content Here
College Football Viewing Guide
