Varlamov allowed four goals on 28 shots in the Islanders overtime loss to the Rangers on Tuesday. Thomas Greiss started Thursday in St. Louis but they’ll come back to Varlamov today vs. Boston. Varlamov is 11-5-4 with a 2.78 GAA and .910 SV% on home ice this season and is 1-0-1 with a 2.37 GAA and .919 SV% in his first two games vs. the Bruins.
Duclair was forced to leave Monday's game in Columbus and is not expected to play tonight in Nashville. To fill that hole, the Senators have recalled Filip Chlapik from Belleville (AHL).
Varlamov stopped 29 of 30 shots in the Islanders win over the Sharks on Sunday. Varlamov has won two straight while stopping 50 of the 52 shots (.962 SV%) that he’s faced. Tonight he faces the Rangers for the third time this season—he is 0-2-0 while giving up nine goals on 63 shots (.857 SV%) in the first two meetings.
Clutterbuck has been out since December 19th after undergoing wrist surgery but is ready to re-join the Islanders for Tuesday's morning skate. He played just two games during his conditioning stint but it's unclear whether or not he's 100 percent ready to return to the NHL lineup.
The 2020 first-round pick is top-three protected, and the 2022 third-rounder is conditional on the Islanders winning the Stanley Cup this season. Pageau is in the midst of a career year, scoring 24 goals and adding 16 assists in 60 games this season. The 27-year-old is set to become an unrestricted free-agent on July 1.
Varlamov allowed one goal on 22 shots in the Islanders win over the Red Wings on Friday. The win snapped a three-game losing skid for Varlamov, who will make his 35th start tonight vs. the Sharks. In his first start against the Sharks, Varlamov stopped 24 of 26 shots in a 2-1 overtime loss (Nov.23).
Engvall has made a splash in his first NHL season, scoring seven goals with seven assists (14 points) in 35 games. The former seventh-round pick was over a point-per-game during his time in AHL this season and his two-year extension suggests that he's in Toronto's bottom-6 plans for 2021.
Cizikas suffered a cut on his leg in Tuesday's win over the Flyers and will miss at least three weeks. This is a huge blow for the Islanders, Cizikas often serves as a shutdown centre and is one of their top penalty killers. Cole Bardreau was recalled to take his spot on the roster.
Head coach Barry Trotz did not have an update on Cizikas' status post-game but the injury puts him in jeopard of missing Thursday's game in Nashville. Expect an update after the Islanders travel to Nashville.
