Martin will make his first appearance since November 15th as Casey Cizikas will miss Friday's game due to an illness. Martin has one goal and one assist in 14 games this season.

Cizikas was a late scratch for Friday's game with his absence not being announced prior to warmups. The Islanders' fourth-line centre has five goals and five assists in 34 games this season. Matt Martin will draw into the lineup in his place.

After undergoing offseason shoulder surgery and prolonged contract negotiations, Bear signed a two-year, $4.125 million contract with the Washington Capitals on Thursday but will not make his debut yet. The 25-year-old Bear played 61 games with the Vancouver Canucks last season, scoring 16 points (3G / 13A), recording a +6 plus/minus, and registering 82 blocks while averaging 18:32 time-on-ice. Bear should help solidify the blueline for a Capitals team that already ranks top-10 in the league defensively, allowing only 2.75 goals per game.

Gauthier has missed two of the last three games but will return to the lineup on Friday against the Washington Capitals. The 26-year-old is off to the most productive start of his five-year career, with two goals, five points, 19 SOG and. four PIMs in 15 games.

Varlamov entered Wednesday's 7-0 blowout loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in relief of Ilya Sorokin in the third period, allowing one goal on seven shots (.857 SV%). However, he was absent from practice on Thursday, dealing with an undisclosed injury, and is considered day-to-day, expected to miss Friday's contest against the Washington Capitals. The Islanders recalled Ken Appleby from Bridgeport (AHL), who will likely serve as the backup to Sorokin if Varlamov is unable to suit up on Friday.

With Semyon Varlamov battling an undisclosed injury, Lane Lambert and the Islanders coaching staff have an easy decision turning back to Sorokin between the pipes, despite his porous performance in their previous outings. On Wednesday, Sorokin allowed six goals on 25 shots (.760 SV%) in an eventual 7-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Islanders, -147 home favourites, are 1-1-1 against the Capitals this season, but Friday will mark Sorokin's first appearance against them this season.

After undergoing offseason shoulder surgery and prolonged contract negotiations, Bear has signed a two-year, $4.125 million contract with the Washington Capitals. The 25-year-old Bear played 61 games with the Vancouver Canucks last season, scoring 16 points (3G / 13A), recording a +6 plus/minus, and registering 82 blocks while averaging 18:32 time-on-ice. Bear should help solidify the blueline for a Capitals team that already ranks top-10 in the league defensively, allowing only 2.75 goals per game.

Varlamov entered Wednesday's 7-0 blowout loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in relief of Ilya Sorokin in the third period, allowing one goal on seven shots (.857 SV%). However, he was absent from practice on Thursday, dealing with an undisclosed injury, and is considered day-to-day ahead of Friday's contest against the Washington Capitals. The Islanders recalled Ken Appleby from Bridgeport (AHL), who will likely serve as the backup to Sorokin if Varlamov is unable to suit up on Friday.

Heineman made his NHL debut in two consecutive games before the Christmas break, recording two hits and a +1 plus/minus. However, he will be loaned to the Laval Rocket of the AHL, where he has four points (1G / 3A) in seven games.

On the front end of a back-to-back, the Kings will turn to David Rittich for the second time in the last four games. In his Kings debut last week, Rittich saved 15 of 16 shots (.938 SV%) against the San Jose Sharks and will look to repeat his performance in a rematch against the Sharks on Wednesday. The Kings have won three of their last four (3-1-0) and are huge -344 home favourites against a Sharks team that has lost five straight (0-5-0), scoring only nine goals in that span.

On the front end of a back-to-back, the Kings will likely turn to David Rittich for the second time in the last four games. In his Kings debut last week, Rittich saved 15 of 16 shots (.938 SV%) against the San Jose Sharks and will look to repeat his performance in a rematch against the Sharks on Wednesday. The Kings have won three of their last four (3-1-0) and are huge -344 home favourites against a Sharks team that has lost five straight (0-5-0), scoring only nine goals in that span.

Sorokin has won two straight games for the Islanders and will return to the crease on Wednesday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. After a sluggish start to the season, including a five-game winless skid, Sorokin seems to be righting the ship, collecting at least a point in seven straight games (5-0-2) while posting a respectable .916 SV%. The Islanders are slight -114 home favourites against the Penguins, who came up short in their last game before the Christmas break, losing 5-4 to the Ottawa Senators in overtime.

Gauthier missed the Islanders' previous game Thursday due to an upper-body injury but appears ready to go on Saturday vs. Carolina. The 26-year-old is off to the most productive start of his five-year career, with two goals, five points, 19 SOG and. four PIMs in 14 games played prior to his injury.

Michael Pezzetta will be a healthy scratch on Thursday, allowing Heineman to make his NHL debut on Thursday against the Minnesota Wild. Heineman was the 43rd overall pick of the Florida Panthers in the 2020 NHL Draft and has four points (1G / 3A) in seven games with the Laval Rocket this season.

On the back end of a back-to-back, the Islanders will likely turn to Varlamov after a 3-1 victory against the Edmonton Oilers last night courtesy of a strong performance from Ilya Sorokin. Sorokin has been active between the pipes for the Islanders this season, starting three of the last seven games. That said, his 2.73 GAA and .919 SV% are inflated by a strong start, as he has allowed three or more goals in each of his last eight contests (4-3-1), posting a .897 SV%. The Islanders are slight +102 road underdogs against a Washington Capitals team that has only scored two combined goals in their last two games (1-1-0).

Gauthier left the Islanders' game Tuesday after just 4:33 TOI due to an upper-body injury and will be out Wednesday vs. Washington but is staying with the team on their road trip. The 26-year-old right winger is on pace to set career highs in almost all statistical categories as he started the season with two goals, three assists, 19 SOG, four PIMs and a -3 plus/minus in 14 games prior to his injury.