Engvall has been limited to only 20 games this season, recording six points (3G / 3A). The 28-year-old is averaging 12:40 time-on-ice, nearly three minutes less than last season, and his lowest total since his 24-year-old season in 2020-21.
Lee has been excellent for the Islanders lately but is battling an illness and was considered a game-time decision on Thursday against the Washington Capitals. The 34-year-old Lee has 24 points (13G / 11A) in 30 games this season, including scoring 11 (6G / 5A) in his last nine.
Darcy Kuemper has played the last two games for the Kings but they will revert to Rittich on Thursday against the New Jersey Devils. The 32-year-old Rittich has a 2.45 GAA and .891 SV% in 17 appearances (10-6-0). With Kuemper battling through two different injuries already this season, the Kings may utilize Rittich more often than not in order to keep Kuemper fresh. The Kings enter Thursday's contest with the Devils as +132 road underdogs.
Duclair has not played since suffering a lower-body injury in mid-October but has been upgraded to day-to-day after participating in practice on Thursday. The 30-year-old Duclair was signed in the offseason to add an offensive punch to a typically low-scoring Islanders club and was off to a solid start, with three points (2G / 1A) in five games.
Lee has been excellent for the Islanders lately but is battling an illness and could miss his first game of the season on Thursday against the Washington Capitals. The 34-year-old Lee has 24 points (13G / 11A) in 30 games this season, including scoring 11 (6G / 5A) in his last nine.
Barzal has not played since suffering an upper-body injury at the end of October but has be actively skating on his own the past few weeks. He returned to practice for the first time on Thursday and has been upgraded to day-to-day. After a stellar 2023-24 season, scoring 80 points (23G / 57A) in 80 games, Barzal started the 2024-25 campaign slowly, with only five points (2G / 3A) in 10 games.
The Islanders will roll with Sorokin between the pipes for a seventh straight game on Thursday when they host the Chicago Blackhawks. Despite an unspectacular 3-2-1 record, Sorokin has strung together some strong play over his last six games, allowing three or fewer goals five times and posting a solid .919 SV%. The Islanders enter Thursday's contest as -186 home favorites against a Blackhawks squad that snapped a five-game losing skid (0-5-0) on Monday with an impressive 2-1 win over the New York Rangers.
The Islanders will roll with Sorokin between the pipes for a seventh straight game on Thursday when they host the Chicago Blackhawks. Despite an unspectacular 3-2-1 record, Sorokin has strung together some strong play over his last six games, allowing three or fewer goals five times and posting a solid .919 SV%. The Islanders enter Thursday's contest as -186 home favorites against a Blackhawks squad that snapped a five-game losing skid (0-5-0) on Monday with an impressive 2-1 win over the New York Rangers.
Mayfield is battling an illness and and as a result will miss his first game of the 2024-25 season. The 32-year-old defenseman is averaging 18:16 time-on-ice, recording five points (1G / 4A), a +10 plus/minus, 58 blocks, and 53 hits in 29 games.
Mayfield is battling an illness and could be at risk of missing his first game of the 2024-25 season. The 32-year-old defenseman is averaging 18:16 time-on-ice, recording five points (1G / 4A), a +10 plus/minus, 58 blocks, and 53 hits in 29 games.
Partly due to Semyon Varlamov battling through a lower-body issue, Sorokin has taken reign of the Islanders' crease and will start his sixth consecutive game on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Kings. The 29-year-old Sorokin is sporting a respectable 2.64 GAA and .909 SV% but has struggled lately, allowing three or more goals in three of his last five (2-2-1), posting a .883 SV%. The Islanders enter Tuesday's contest as +115 home underdogs against a Kings team riding a season-best five-game winning streak.
Barzal has not played since suffering an upper-body injury at the end of October but has be actively skating on his own. After a stellar 2023-24 season, scoring 80 points (23G / 57A) in 80 games, Barzal started the 2024-25 campaign slowly, with only five points (2G / 3A) in 10 games.
McWard is an undrafted product of Ohio State University with six games of NHL experience. The 23-year-old McWard has five points (1G / 5A) in 21 games with the Abbotsford Canucks (AHL) this season.
Pierre Engvall will draw back into the lineup for the Islanders on Thursday, resulting in Martin being a healthy scratch. The 35-year-old Martin is averaging 8:06 time-on-ice, recording one point (0G / 1A), five penalty minutes, and 42 hits in 15 games.
Matt Martin will be a healthy scratch on Thursday, allowing Engvall to return from a two-game absence. The 28-year-old Engvall is averaging 12:44 time-on-ice and has five points (3G / 2A) in 16 games this season.
With Semyon Varlamov (lower body) day-to-day, Sorokin will start for the third consecutive game on Thursday against the Seattle Kraken. The 29-year-old Sorokin has been solid this season, posting a 2.48 GAA and .916 SV% in 16 games (6-6-4). He has saved 54 of 56 shots faced (.964 SV%) over his last two outings (1-0-1). The Islanders enter Thursday's contest as -125 home favorites against a Kraken club coming off an impressive 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes.
