Sorokin will lead the Islanders on Thursday in a matchup against the Detroit Red Wings, two teams battling for a Wild Card position. The Islanders have lost five straight, including four with Sorokin between the pipes. In his last outing, Sorokin allowed three goals on 33 shots (.909 SV%) in a 4-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. The Islanders enter action as slight -112 road underdogs.
Jesper Fast will not play on Thursday due to an upper-body injury, allowing DeAngelo to re-enter the lineup. DeAngelo has not played since February 25th, when he scored a goal in 15:46 ice time.
With Los Angeles on the second half of their back-to-back and Cam Talbot taking the crease in Tuesday's 6-2 win over Chicago, David Rittich will man the crease on Wednesday vs. Minnesota. The 31-year-old backup started the year in the AHL but has impressed and surprised many with his 10-5-3 record, .916 SV% and 2.29 GAA in 20 games played this season. He'll host the Minnesota Wild who are on a bit of a heater having won four of their last five games while ranking 18th in the NHL in goals per game on the season (3.07).
Engvall was a very late scratch for Tuesday's game after taking his usual spot in line rushes during warmups. Hudson Fasching will draw into the lineup in Engvall's place.
Vinni Lettieri will be a healthy scratch on Tuesday, allowing Beckman to re-enter the lineup. The 22-year-old has one point (0G / 1A), four hits, and two blocks in three games.
The Islanders have lost four straight and will return to Sorokin between the pipes for the fourth time in the last five games. Sorokin allowed five goals on 31 shots (.839 SV%) in his last outing, a 5-2 loss to the New York Rangers, but was on a strong run before that, allowing three or fewer goals in eight straight (5-3-0), posting a respectable .913 SV%. The Islanders enter action as +138 home underdogs against the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Islanders have lost four straight and will return to Sorokin between the pipes for the fourth time in the last five games. Sorokin allowed five goals on 31 shots (.839 SV%) in his last outing, a 5-2 loss to the New York Rangers, but was on a strong run before that, allowing three or fewer goals in eight straight (5-3-0), posting a respectable .913 SV%. The Islanders enter action as +138 home underdogs against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Drouin was a late scratch on Wednesday, with the team not announcing his absence until before warmups. Caleb Jones drew into the lineup on Wednesday as the Avalanche opted to dress seven defensemen. Drouin has six points (2G / 4A) in his last seven games.
Boqvist left Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators early in the first period after playing only 1:12 time-on-ice due to an upper-body injury. He managed to record an assist in his limited appearance, snapping a five-game pointless skid. Jake Christiansen was recalled from the Cleveland Monsters (AHL) as a potential replacement.
On the front end of a back-to-back, the Islanders will turn to Varlamov to tend the twine for only his second start in the last 10 games. Varlamov played well in his last outing, saving 22 of 23 shots (.957 SV%) in a 6-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks, snapping an eight-game winless skid (0-4-2) for the veteran netminder. After recording a season-best six-game winning streak, the Islanders have been outscored 7-0 in their last two games (0-2-0).
Bear will be the odd-man out on Thursday as the Capitals look to get fresh legs in the lineup for the tail-end of their back-to-back. Alexander Alexeyev will draw into lineup in his place.
Boqvist left the game in the first period and was unable to return. We should expect to receive an update on his injury in the coming days.
Martin did not play in Monday's 3-0 loss to the Los Angeles Kings but will return to the lineup on Thursday against the Buffalo Sabres. Martin is riding a two-game point streak (0G / 2A) while averaging a fraction above 10 minutes of ice time.
Drouin was a late scratch on Wednesday, with the team not announcing his absence prior to warmups. Caleb Jones will draw into the lineup as the Avs opt to dress seven defensemen.
The red-hot Islanders saw their six-game winning streak snapped on Monday in a 3-0 loss to the Los Angeles Kings, but will return to Sorokin between the pipes on Thursday. Sorokin played well in the loss, allowing only two goals on 24 shots (.917 SV%), but did not receive any goal support from his team. He has allowed three or fewer goals in seven straight games (6-2-0).
