New York Islanders News

Barzal played 10:10 during his NHL debut on Saturday, but he will come out of the lineup in favour of Alan Quine on Sunday.

Varlamov allowed five goals on 28 shots in Colorado’s win over the Stars on Saturday. Calvin Pickard got the nod last night, but they will come back to Varlamov tonight in Washington. The Avalanche are off to a 2-0-0 start to the season, but draw a tough matchup on the tail-end of a back-to-back. Varlamov was 13-10-0 with a 2.53 GAA and .923 SV% on the road a season ago.

Barzal sat out of the Islanders’ season opener, but will draw into the lineup on Saturday. Barzal will centre the third line with Ryan Strome on his right wing and Anders Lee on the left. Barzal is also expected to play on the Islanders’ top power-play unit.

Varlamov will start Colorado’s season opener and he is hoping their coaching change will help him. Over the last three years, Varlamov has faced a ridiculous 5,518 shots (most in the NHL), which has made things really tough on him. He has the ability to be a No.1 fantasy netminder, if the Avalanche improve in front of him. Last year he was 27-25-3 with a 2.81 GAA and .914 SV%—expect better numbers across the board this year.

Mayfield, 23, was the 34th overall pick in the 2011 NHL Draft, but has yet to make a big impact at the NHL level. The 6-foot-4, 225 lbs. blueliner has appeared in just 11 NHL games, tallying just one goal. There may be a team out there that lacks depth on the blueline that claims the St. Louis native.

The Flyers and Schenn avoid arbitration by getting this deal signed. Schenn is coming off of a career-year, notching 26 goals and 33 assists (59 points) in 80 games. In the 2016 calendar year, Schenn was among the best fantasy forwards, collecting 44 points (19G / 25A) in 46 games from January-to-April—he had just 15 points (7G / 8A) in the first 34 games of the season. Schenn might not turn into a point-per-game player during the 2016-17 season, but he might be able to top 60 points for the first time in his career.

Palmieri 25, had the best season of his career in his first year in New Jersey. He entered 2015-16 with a career-high of 14 goals, but burst out for 30 goals along with 27 assists (57 points) in 82 games. Palmieri should benefit from the Devils adding Taylor Hall to the mix for 2016-17.

Martin, 27, has missed just 11 games in the last five years while averaging seven goals and seven assists per season. However, that’s not where his value lies. Since his first full NHL season in 2011-12, Martin leads the NHL in hits with 1714, which is 370 more than second (Cal Clutterbuck)—1714 hit equates to 4.7 hits per game.

The Islanders have already clinched a playoff berth, so Martin will rest in the season finale. Alan Quine has been recalled to take his spot in the lineup.

The Islanders have already clinched a playoff berth, so Clutterbuck will rest in the season finale. Bracken Kearns has been recalled to take his spot in the lineup.

Varlamov was pulled after allowing three goals on 14 shots in Colorado’s loss to the Blues on Sunday. He has allowed three goals in each of his last three starts (all losses), posting an .897 SV% in the process. The 27-year-old has gone 3-0-0 with a 2.67 GAA and .914 SV% in his first three starts against Nashville in 2015-16.

Mayfield, 23, has recorded 12 points (5G / 7A) in 52 games with Bridgeport this season. He has appeared in three games with the Islanders this year and has eight career NHL games under his belt. He has been recalled because Calvin de Haan was injured in Monday’s win.

Pulock has been a healthy scratch in the last four games, but will replace Brian Strait tonight vs. the Lightning. Pulock, who had impressive AHL numbers, has just one goal in 10 games with the Islanders.