Sharks head coach David Quinn alluded to potential lineup changes ahead of Tuesday's game due to injury/illness, and it appears Duclair is the change he was referring to. Duclair has eight goals and eight assists in 40 games this season.
Oliver Wahlstrom will re-enter the lineup on Tuesday in Engvall's place. Engvall has five goals and nine assists in 41 games this season.
Sorokin will get the nod again on Tuesday after being pulled in Tuesday's loss to the Wild, marking the first time this season that the Islanders' starting netminder will start both ends of a back-to-back. Sorokin wasn't particularly poor on Monday, allowing three goals on 32 shots through two periods, as the move to pull him was likely done with more of an eye on tonight's game in Winnipeg as the Islanders were trailing the Wild by three goals heading into the third. Sorokin owns a 13-10-8 record on the season to go along with a .909 SV% and a 3.18 GAA.
Cizikas exited the Islanders' Tuesday night contest against the Vancouver Canucks in the first period with a lower-body injury after playing only 3:54 time-on-ice. Before his injury, Cizikas had been limited to only one point (0G / 1A) in his last 11 games while registering 25 hits.
Sorokin will continue his hold on the Islanders' crease on Thursday, marking appearances in eight straight games as Semyon Varlamov remains out of the lineup due to an injury. However, his increased workload has not resulted in improved play. In his last seven games (2-4-1), Sorokin has allowed four or more goals four times, posting a subpar .888 SV%. Sorokin and the Islanders are +115 home underdogs on Thursday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, despite defeating them 4-3 less than a month ago when Sorkin saved 37 of 40 shots (.925 SV%).
Samuel Bolduc is expected to come out of the lineup for the Islanders on Tuesday with Pelech expected to make his return. This will mark his first game since November 24th, a 20-game absence. Before his injury, Pelech had three points (0G / 3A), 28 blocks, and 15 hits in 16 games.
Varlamov left last Tuesday's game against the Colorado Avalanche late in the first period due to an injury with the score being 1-1. He was replaced by Ilya Sorokin, who has started every game while Varlamov has been unavailable. He remains day-to-day with a lower-body injury but has been placed on IR retroactive to January 2nd.
With Semyon Varlamov still sidelined with no definitive return timeline, Sorokin will start for the seventh time in the last eight games, his busiest stretch of play this season. That said, the increased workload hasn't been beneficial to Sorokin. In his last seven appearances (3-3-1), he has allowed four or more goals four times, posting a subpar .892 SV% in the process. Things won't get easier for Sorokin and the Islanders as they face off against a high-flying Vancouver Canucks team that defeated the New York Rangers last night by a score of 6-3.
With Semyon Varlamov still sidelined with no definitive return timeline, Sorokin will likely start for the seventh time in the last eight games, his busiest stretch of play this season. That said, the increased workload hasn't been beneficial to Sorokin. In his last seven appearances (3-3-1), he has allowed four or more goals four times, posting a subpar .892 SV% in the process. Things won't get easier for Sorokin and the Islanders as they face off against a high-flying Vancouver Canucks team that defeated the New York Rangers last night by a score of 6-3.
Samuel Bolduc is expected to come out of the lineup for the Islanders on Tuesday if Pelech can make his return. If Pelech plays on Tuesday, it would make his first game since November 24th, a 20-game absence. Before his injury, Pelech had three points (0G / 3A), 28 blocks, and 15 hits in 16 games.
Adam Pelech is expected to make his return to the lineup for the Islanders on Tuesday, making Bolduc a healthy scratch. Bolduc has played each of the last 18 games for the Islanders, registering three points (1G / 2A) while averaging 14:50 time-on-ice.
With Martin Necas (upper-body) and Stefan Noesen (illness) both unavailable on Friday, DeAngelo will get the opportunity to play for the first time since December 17th as the Hurricanes are forced into dressing seven defensemen against the Capitals. DeAngelo has two goals and seven assists in 20 games this season.
