Morning Skate: Line Combos vs. Rangers, What to Watch, How to Watch & More

The New York Islanders kick off their preseason Monday night against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Puck drop is slated for 7 PM ET.

“It’s nice to get things going,” New York Islanders captain Anders Lee said following morning skate. “It will be a fun night. Get an opportunity to play some hockey here. It’s been a lot of work here the first few days. Now we get to put some things together.”

“Yeah, it’s going to be fun,” Oliver Wahlstrom shared. “Obviously, it’s been a long summer. I think everybody’s excited to get out there and play.”

Semyon Varlamov was the first goaltender off the ice at morning skate and will start tonight against the New York Rangers per head coach Lane Lambert. Jakub Skarek will back up and could get in, depending on how the game goes.

Personnel Combinations:

Forwards:

Here are the forward units and defense pairings the New York Islanders deployed during warmups:

Parise-Barzal-Holmstrom

Lee-Pageau-Wahlstrom

Johnston-Andreoff-Clutterbuck

Kubiak-Bardreau-Durandeau

Defense:

Romanov-Dobson

Salo-Mayfield

Wotherspoon-Hutton

Goalies:

Varlamov

Skarek

Expected New York Rangers Lines:

Lines/pairs for first #NYR group on ice, presumably the game group for tomorrow:

Kreider-Zibanejad-Kakko
Vesey-Chytil-Kravtsov
Trivigno-Carpenter-Reaves
Sykora-Rydahl-Othmann

Miller-Trouba
Hajek-Schneider
Jones-Welinski

Shesterkin
Garand

— Arthur Staple (@StapeAthletic) September 25, 2022

What to Watch:

Tonight will be the first night to see the pairing of Alexander Romanov and Noah Dobson together. The 22-year-olds have been skating with one another throughout training camp and seem to have the trust and confidence from their head coach Lane Lambert.

It will also be Romanov’s first game in a New York Islanders sweater. 

“Ready for my first game as an Islander,” Romanov said following morning skate. He also shared that although he is known for hitting, he does not look for them. If it happens, it happens.

21-year-old Simon Holmstrom gets a chance to skate with Mathew Barzal and Zach Parise tonight, a significant opportunity for the young forward. Holmstrom is fresh off a career season with Bridgeport and is excited to prove something tonight.

“I’m just going to try to do my best and work hard,” Simon Holmstrom said after morning skate. “See how it goes.”

“I want to see his speed. I want to see his ability, his skills, and he’s a really smart hockey player,” Lane Lambert said. “So I think, you know, he could complement them [Barzal, Parise] very well.”

Robin Salo gets a big chance alongside Scott Mayfield as he tries to earn a spot in the Islanders’ everyday lineup.

“Scott’s a, you know, a big defenseman and more of a stay-at-home guy. Salo has the ability to move the puck. So just good first passes, you know, during the rush when he can have some powerplay time as well,” Lambert said as for what he wants to see from Robin Salo tonight.

How to Watch:

You can watch the game tonight on MSG, MSG+, and MSGSN. On the radio dial, the New York Islanders game can be heard on 1050 AM ESPN, 88.7 FM WRHU and 103.9 FM LI News Radio.