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New York Islanders News

Duclair (lower-body) skated in full on Thursday but is still considered day-to-day.

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.

Anthony Duclair
Barzal (lower-body) returned to practice in full on Thursday.

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.

Mathew Barzal
Sorokin will start vs. Chicago on Thursday.

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.

Ilya Sorokin
Sorokin was the first goalie off the ice at New York's morning skate.

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.

Ilya Sorokin
Vanecek will start in Carolina on Tuesday.

With yesterday's trade sending Mackenzie Blackwood to the Colorado Avalanche and Alexandar Georgiev not ready to suit up for the Sharks, Vanecek will be in the crease on Tuesday against the Carolina Hurricanes. The 28-year-old Vanecek has struggled between the pipes for the Sharks this season, posting an ugly 3.89 GAA and .883 SV% in 12 appearances (3-6-1). He has allowed 10 goals on 43 shots (.767 SV%) across his last two games (1-1-0). The Sharks enter Tuesday's contest as humungous +410 road underdogs against the Hurricanes.

Vitek Vanecek
Vanecek is expected to start in Carolina on Tuesday.

With yesterday's trade sending Mackenzie Blackwood to the Colorado Avalanche and Alexandar Georgiev not ready to suit up for the Sharks, Vanecek will likely be in the crease on Tuesday against the Carolina Hurricanes. The 28-year-old Vanecek has struggled between the pipes for the Sharks this season, posting an ugly 3.89 GAA and .883 SV% in 12 appearances (3-6-1). He has allowed 10 goals on 43 shots (.767 SV%) across his last two games (1-1-0). The Sharks enter Tuesday's contest as humungous +410 road underdogs against the Hurricanes.

Vitek Vanecek
Sorokin will start vs. Los Angeles on Tuesday.

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.

Ilya Sorokin