Islanders Updates: Romanov Won't Play vs. Senators, Sorokin Returns To Crease
The Islanders look to build off their 4-2 win over Edmonton in Ottawa today.
After notching their first win of the season on Thursday, the New York Islanders (1-3-0) head north of the border for the first time this season, facing the Brady Tkachuk-less Ottawa Senators (2-3-0).
Puck drop at Canadian Tire Centre is scheduled for 3:00 p.m., and the game can be found on MSGSN, with Alan Fuehring and Thomas Hickey on the call.
Radio today will be an MSGSN simulcast.
The Islanders will be without Alexander Romanov as he is day-to-day, per head coach Patrick Roy’s pregame presser. Adam Boqvist will take his place alongside Tony DeAngelo.
Watch his presser HERE.
Ilya Sorokin (0-3-0, 4.18 GAA, .854 SV%) returns to the crease after David Rittich turned aside 31 of 33 in their 4-2 win against the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday.
EXCLUSIVE: The Importance Of Patrick Roy's Post-Practice Ice Session With Ilya Sorokin
EAST MEADOW, N.Y. — Goaltending is a position of high risk and high reward. A big save in a critical moment has you on cloud nine. But the reverse can be catastrophic.
Sorokin owns a 1.97 GAA and a .942 SV% in five appearances, four career starts vs. Ottawa.
The Islanders and Senators met three times last season, with New York taking the season series with a 2-1-0 record. The Islanders picked up 4-2 wins in each of their first two meetings, but Ottawa salvaged the finale with a 2-0 shutout win on Jan. 14.
ISLANDERS PROJECTED LINES:
Drouin-Horvat-Heineman
Duclair-Barzal-Palmieri
Lee-Pageau-Shabanov
MacLean-Cizikas-Holmstrom
Pelech-Pulock
Schaefer-Mayfield
Boqvist-DeAngelo
Sorokin
Rittich
*Expect Schaefer to be QBing PP1 today after doing so at Friday’s practice.
ISLANDERS NOTES:
Bo Horvat recorded a hat trick on Thursday against the Edmonton Oilers, the second of his NHL career. The center’s last hat trick came on Oct. 22, 2019, against the Detroit Red Wings.
Jonathan Drouin picked up an assist in Thursday’s game, giving him points in all three of his appearances this season. The forward has a goal and two assists for three points in that span.
Matthew Schaefer continues to make history as he begins his NHL career. He is the ninth defenseman to record a four-game point streak at 18 years of age and the 12th blueliner to accomplish the feat in his first four NHL games. The first-overall pick has a goal and three assists for four points in that span.
Anders Lee has 15 goals against the Senators in 23 career matchups to lead the Islanders. Mathew Barzal (19 games) and Horvat (30 games) lead the team in assists and points with 14 and 23, respectively.
OPPONENTS NOTES:
The Senators snapped a three-game losing streak on Thursday in a 4-3 shootout win over the Seattle Kraken. Dylan Cozens tied the game up with 1:46 to play in regulation, with Tim Stutzle and Shane Pinto scoring in the skills contest to propel the Senators to the victory.
Saturday marks the first time the Islanders will see Dylan Cozens in a Senators jersey. The forward joined Ottawa in a deal at the Trade Deadline, with Josh Norris and Jacob Bernard-Docker going to the Buffalo Sabres. He has points in three straight games entering Saturday, boasting a goal and two assists in that span.
Shane Pinto, a Franklin Square native, has been white hot for Ottawa to start the year. The forward has six goals in his first five games this season, including a pair of multi-goal games.
Drake Batherson has a five-game point streak against the Islanders coming into Saturday’s game. The forward has three goals and four assists for seven points in that span.
Claude Giroux, a longtime Philadelphia Flyer, is the Senators’ leading scorer across the board against the Islanders. The center has 26 goals and 47 assists for 73 points in 73 career matchups against New York.
Linus Ullmark (2-2-0, 3.72 GAA, .862 SV%) starts for Ottawa. He owns a 9-6-1 record in 16 appearances vs. the Islanders, with a 2.55 GAA and a .908 SV%.
Hopefully we win and stay competitive. It makes trades and everything else easier and better. Romanov availability is becoming concerning!
The part about Patrick Roy's dedicated session with Sorokin really stood out, as coaching interventions at critical juncturres can sometimes reset a player's mental state, though it's always a bit of a statistical gamble if it will immediately translate to peformance.