New York Islanders

Islanders Game 41 Preview vs. Toronto Maple Leafs: Lines, Notes & How To Watch

Published

4 months ago

January 11, 2024

The New York Islanders (18-12-10) will have a new look lineup as they face the Toronto Maple Leafs (21-10-7) and old friend John Tavares tonight at UBS Arena. Here’s what you need to know before puck drop.

Cizikas Out Week-To-Week:

The Islanders announced that fourth line center Casey Cizikas will not play tonight and is week-to-week with a lower-body injury.

Cizikas blocked a shot off his left knee during the Islanders’ game against the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday and eventually left in the second period.

Major Line Movement:

Cizikas’ injury made it necessary for head coach Lane Lambert to make major changes to the Islanders’ lines. However, they were already needed with the way the team has played of late.

Projected Lineup:

Lee-Horvat-Wahlstrom

Engvall-Nelson-Fasching

Holmstrom-Barzal-Palmieri

Martin-Pageau-Clutterbuck

Romanov-Dobson

Pelech-Mayfield

Reilly-Aho

Sorokin

Appleby

Last Time Out:

With horrible weather outside on Tuesday, the Islanders didn’t play much better against the Vancouver Canucks in a 5-2 loss.

Aside from Brock Nelson’s two goals, they generated little offense. They didn’t do much on the defensive end either, as Ilya Sorokin allowed five goals or more goals for the third time in his last six starts.

The Opponent:

The Toronto Maple Leafs arrive on Long Island riding a wave, having won their last four games.

The newly paid William Nylander leads Toronto in scoring with 57 points but is far from its only weapon as the team posts the league’s fourth-best offense, averaging 3.58 goals per game.

Auston Matthews is the top goal scorer in the NHL, while Mitch Marner is also producing above a point-per-game pace.

Former Islanders captain John Tavares has 34 points with 12 goals this season. He scored his 1,000th career point against the Islanders back on Dec. 11 in a 4-3 overtime win for New York.

Martin Jones is expected to start in net for Toronto tonight. In 12 games this year, he has a 1.98 GAA and a .934 save percentage.

The Maple Leafs have the NHL’s sixth-best power play and the 21st-ranked penalty kill.

How To Watch:

Puck drop between the Islanders and Maple Leafs from UBS Arena is scheduled for just past 7 p.m. EST. The game is available to watch on ESPN or streamed on 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 103.9 FM WRCN.