New York Islanders

Islanders Game 49 Preview vs. Florida Panthers: Lines, Notes & How To Watch

Published

3 months ago

January 27, 2024

The New York Islanders (20-17-11) play one last game before the NHL’s All-Star break as they welcome the Florida Panthers (30-14-4) to UBS Arena tonight. Here’s what you need to know before puck drop.

Inside The Islanders Room:

Before the Islanders could focus on the Panthers, they first had to address a couple of important issues. Namely, Brendan Gallagher’s illegal hit on Adam Pelech and former teammate Zach Parise choosing to sign with the Colorado Avalanche.

In The Islanders Room: Reaction To Gallagher Suspension & Parise Joining Avs

As a result of Gallagher’s hit, Pelech is now day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Hudson Fasching is also considered day-to-day while he deals with a lower-body injury.

Projected Lineup:

Lee-Horvat-Barzal

Engvall-Nelson-Palmieri

Holmstrom-Pageau-Wahlstrom

Martin-MacLean-Clutterbuck

Romanov-Dobson

Reilly-Aho

Bolduc-Mayfield

Sorokin

Varlamov

Last Time Out:

Patrick Roy didn’t want to take away attention from his players when the Islanders played against his former team, the Montreal Canadiens, on Thursday.

But perhaps he should’ve because there weren’t a lot of positives for the Islanders in a 4-3 loss.

They trailed 3-0 at the end of the first period after allowing two power-play goals, plus another at 4v4.

Bo Horvat got the Islanders on the board on the man advantage in the second period, but Montreal was still firmly in control.

It wasn’t until a scary incident that momentum swung the Islanders way. After Brendan Gallagher received a match penalty for an illegal check to the head on Adam Pelech, the Islanders were given a five-minute power play.

Both Mathew Barzal and Kyle Palmieri scored to draw the Islanders even. But a little over a minute later, Sean Monahan took advantage of a Pierre Engvall turnover to put the Habs ahead once again. This time, for good.

The Opponent:

The Florida Panthers arrive on Long Island carrying a three-game winning streak after defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins in a shootout last night.

With this being the second night of a back-to-back for the Panthers, Anthony Stolarz is expected to start in goal. In 14 appearances this season, Stolarz owns a record of 7-4-2 with a 2.12 GAA and a .917 save percentage.

Sam Reinhart leads the Panthers in both points and goals.

Last season’s Eastern Conference champions have the NHL’s 11th-ranked power play (23.1%) and the 8th-ranked penalty kill (82.6%) this season.

In their one previous matchup this season, the Islanders defeated the Panthers 4-3 in Florida.

For more coverage of the Florida Panthers, follow Colby Guy and George Richards at Florida Hockey Now.

How To Watch:

Puck drop between the Islanders and Panthers from UBS Arena is scheduled for just past 7:30 p.m. EST. The game is available to watch on MSGSN or streamed on MSG Plus or ESPN Plus for out-of-market viewers. 88.7 FM WRHU will produce the radio feed of the game, which can also be heard on 1050 AM ESPN or 103.9 FM WRCN.