NEW YORK ISLANDERS NOTES:
THE ISLANDERS VS. BOSTON
LAST FIVE MEETINGS (1-3-1)
Feb. 18, 2023 TD Garden L (6-2)
Jan. 18, 2023 UBS Arena L (4-1)
Dec. 13, 2022 TD Garden L/SO (4-3)
Mar. 26, 2022 TD Garden L (6-3)
Feb. 17, 2022 UBS Arena W (4-1)
TEAM NOTES
TONIGHT’S MATCHUP
Tonight, the New York Islanders visit the Boston Bruins in the first of three matchups between the two clubs this season. These teams last met on Feb. 18, 2023, at TD Garden, when the Islanders fell to the Bruins, 6-2. The Islanders will look to improve to 2-1-1 in their fourth matchup with an Atlantic Division opponent this season. They enter tonight’s matchup as the only NHL team with a 100% penalty kill in road games this season and can also earn their third straight road victory tonight. A win tonight would be their first at TD Garden since Mar. 25, 2021. PPG Islanders forward Oliver Wahlstrom found the back of the net on Tuesday vs. Minnesota, his first goal since Dec. 9, 2022, and his first power play goal since Nov. 14, 2022. 11 of the Portland, ME native’s 33 career goals have been scored on the power play (33.3%).
SHORTHANDED TALLY
Islanders forward Simon Holmstrom scored a goal in back-to-back games (Nov. 2 at WSH, Nov. 4 vs. CAR) for the first time in his career. Saturday night, the 22-year-old scored the Islanders’ second shorthanded goal in three games, and the first of his career, to help the team collect a point in overtime vs. the Carolina Hurricanes, and helping the Islanders become the first Eastern Conference team to record at least two shorthanded goals on home ice this season.
AGAINST BOSTON
Islanders forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau has scored more goals against Boston (12) than any other team he has faced in his career. He has recorded 21 points (12 goals, nine assists) in 36 career meetings with the Bruins, leading active Islanders against Boston, and tied with the New Jersey Devils for the most points that Pageau has recorded against a single opponent in his career. Ten of Pageau’s 21 points have been tallied at TD Garden. He has tallied two assists in his last three games and enters tonight’s matchup five points shy of the 300th of his career.
BLUELINE GOALS
Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson has scored a goal in each of his last two games for the fifth time in his career. The 23-year-old’s scored his 34th career goal on Tuesday, second-most by any Islanders defenseman before their 24th birthday (Potvin). He also passes Adrian Aucoin (33) for 11th-most goals in club history by a defenseman. Dobson leads the Islanders in points (11) and assists (seven) through 11 games this season. He has also recorded points in his last three straight visits to TD Garden (one goal, three assists). Dobson is also the first Islander defenseman to record 11 points (four goals, seven assists) through the first 11 games of the season since James Wisniewski did so in 2010-11. From Oct. 17 – 26, Dobson matched his career-best as he recorded a five-game point streak (two goals, four assists). He also enters tonight’s matchup with 98 assists, and can become the second-youngest defenseman in Islanders franchise history to reach 100 in his career, joining Denis Potvin. Dobson and Potvin (219) are the only Islanders blueliners to tally at least 98 assists before their 24th birthday. The Summerside, PEI native also leads the Islanders in TOI/game through ten games this season, with 25:03 average time on ice per game. He recorded over 25 minutes of ice time in five straight games from Oct. 24 – Nov. 2, the first Islander to do so since Travis Hamonic in 2016. This season, Dobson also became the first Islander to skate at least 24 minutes in eight straight games since 2014 (also Hamonic, nine).
BUFFALO SABRES NOTES:
TONIGHT’S GAME
-The Bruins host the Islanders tonight in the frst of three games between these teams this season and New York’s lone visit toTD Garden this year … The Bruins are 10-1-1 overall this season and they are 5-0-1 on home ice … They are 3-1-0 in games vs. Eastern Conference teams this season. – Following tonight’s game, the Bruins will face a two-game road trip to Montreal on 11/11 and in Buffalo on 11/14.
RECENT GAMES
-The Bruins dropped their frst regulation loss of the season with a 5-4 setback in Detroit on 11/4 but rebounded with a 3-2 win in Dallas on 11/6 in their last game. – 11/2: Bos 3 vs Tor 2/SO … Pavel Zacha and Jake DeBrusk tallied twice before evening the score and sending to overtime and a shootout … DeBrusk and Charlie Coyle scored both goals in the win … Jeremy Swayman won his ffth decision of the season … SOG: Bos 40, Tor 35 … PP: 0/2 … PK: 0/2The Bruins. held – 11/4: Bos 4 at Det 5 … The Bruins held 2-0 and 3-2 leads on goals by James van Riemsdyk, Mason Poitras and Charlie Coyle before Detroit rallied with three unanswered … David Pastrnak narrowed to 5-4 but could not add the equalizer … Linus Ullmark took the frst regulation loss … SOG: Bos 30, Det 40 … PP: 1/4 … PK: 2/8 – 11/6: Bos 3 at Dal 2 … Johnny Beecher and Mason Lohrei each scored their frst NHL goals and Brad Marchand netted the game-winner … Jeremy Swayman opened at 6-0-0 for the frst time in his career … SOG: Bos 29, Dal 37 … PP: 1/4 … PK: 0/3
INJURIES / SUSPENSION (21 man-games lost)
– Derek Forbort: Lower body – Morgan Geekie: Upper body – Milan Lucic: Lower body IR – Jakub Lauko: Upper body IR – Matt Grzelcyk: Upper body IR – Charlie McAvoy: NHL-levied suspension (Gm 4 of 4)
BOSTON vs NY ISLANDERS, LIFETIME SERIES
– The Bruins and Islanders are meeting for the 187th time in their histories with a 99-59-21-7 advantage and a 625-524 scoring edge in those games. – The Bruins are 53-24-11-4 lifetime in 92 home games vs. the Islanders with a 324-243 scoring advantage in those contests. – The Bruins are 9-0-2 in their last 11 games vs. the Islanders in Boston.
FUN FACTS
– The Bruins currently have 23 players on their active roster (3 on IR) … 14 were drafted by the team, fve were acquired in trade and seven were signed as free agents. – The Bruins play 11 matinees this season (local time 4:00 pm or earlier) … They have an 0-0-0 record in afternoon games so far. – The Bruins play 12 sets of back-to-back games this season … They are currently 1-0-0 in the frst game of those sets and 1-0-0 in the second games so far. – The Bruins are playing game 4 of a 13-game November schedule tonight (fve home/eight road, 2-1-0) … They will play 13 games in December (six home/seven road) … They will play 14 games in January (seven home/seven road) …They will play 12 games in February (eight home/four road) … They will play 14 games in March (seven home/seven road) … They will play seven games in April (three home/four road) … They played nine games in October (8-0-1).
