New York Islanders

Islanders Game 11 Preview vs. Minnesota Wild: Lines, Best Bets, Who and How To Watch

Published

6 months ago

November 7, 2023

East Meadow, NY– The New York Islanders host the Minnesota Wild tonight at UBS Arena. Here’s what you need to know beforehand.

Injury Updates:

Bo Horvat was missing from Islanders practice for the second straight day this morning. Islanders head coach Lane Lambert was non-committal on Horvat’s status, as well as that of defenseman Adam Pelech, for tonight’s game against the Wild.

Pelech, however, was present at practice this morning, so it’s more likely than not that he will play against Minnesota after sitting out the Islanders’ last game on Saturday.

Scott Mayfield was back at practice this morning after being absent yesterday due to maintenance. Lambert expects Mayfield to be in the lineup tonight.

Varlamov Gets First Start At Home:

Semyon Varlamov will start in goal for the Islanders, coming off back-to-back shutout performances in his last two starts.

In three starts this year, Varlamov is 2-1-0 with a 1.00 GAA and a .972 save percentage. Tonight will be Varlamov’s first start at home this season.

Projected Lineup:

Lee-Barzal-Wahlstrom

Engvall-Nelson-Palmieri

Holmstrom-Pageau-Fasching

Martin-Cizikas-Clutterbuck

Pelech-Dobson

Romanov-Pulock

Aho-Mayfield

Varlamov

Sorokin

Last Time Out:

The Islanders had by far their worst loss of the season thus far on Saturday, losing to the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 in overtime after leading by two to begin the third period.

Ilya Sorokin made 42 on 46 shots on goal, while Carolina fired a ridiculous 101 shots in his direction.

Islanders Blow Lead (Again); Allow 101 Shot Attempts In OT Loss To Hurricanes

The overtime loss dropped the Islanders’ record to 5-2-3, as they remain winless in games that go the extra mile. With 13 points, they sit in fourth place in the Metropolitan Division.

Noah Dobson scored his third goal of the year as he continues to pace the team in points. Mathew Barzal also contributed to the Islanders’ effort with his second goal of the season to go along with a shorthanded tally from Simon Holmstrom.

The Opponent:

A playoff team last season, the Minnesota Wild have come out flat to begin the new year with a 4-5-2 record.

The Wild snapped what was a four-game losing streak with a 5-4 shootout win over the New York Rangers on Saturday and face the Islanders tonight to open a three-game road trip.

Mats Zuccarello leads Minnesota in points scored with 11, while his linemate, Ryan Hartman, has the team lead in goals with seven.

Veteran goalie and former Metropolitan rival Marc-Andre Fleury is expected to start in goal for the Wild. This season, Fleury is 2-2-1 with a .892 save percentage and 2.83 GAA. Fleury is 27-12-5 in 47 career games against the Islanders.

Minnesota comes into tonight’s contest with the league’s worst penalty-kill. They’re ranked 23rd on the man advantage.

Best Bets:

With their first-line center potentially out of the lineup tonight, expect the Islanders to face an uphill battle versus the Wild in what should be a close game. In a coin flip, Minnesota has the edge. You can bet on the game using odds presented by Draft Kings.

Who To Watch:

Against a struggling Minnesota penalty kill, tonight is an excellent opportunity for the Islanders to show their power play unit is at least somewhat competent.

The Islanders have scored on seven of their 35 power play opportunities thus far this year and have scored just twice on the man advantage in their last five games. Both of those goals were from Bo Horvat.

How To Watch:

Puck drop between the Islanders and Wild from UBS Arena is scheduled for just past 7 p.m. EST. The game can be seen on MSG Network and streamed on MSG+ or ESPN+ for out-of-market viewers. 88.7 FM WRHU will broadcast the radio feed of the game, which can also be heard on 1050 AM ESPN and 103.9 FM WRCN.