New York Islanders News

Martin will be unavailable on Thursday due to an illness. Hudson Fasching will draw back into the lineup in Martin's place.

Varlamov has been out since January 2nd due to a lower-body injury but returned Tuesday to back up Ilya Sorokin and will start Thursday vs. Montreal. The 35-year-old back up has exclaimed his excitement for new Head Coach Patrick Roy, who he played under in Colorado during Roy's inaugural coaching tenure. Varlamov is positing an impressive 6-4-2 record, 2.78 GAA And .918 SV% on the season. He will take on Montreal on Thursday.

Bear will re-enter the Capitals' lineup in place of the scratched Trevor van Riemsdyk for Wednesday's game in Colorado. Bear has one goal and one assist in 11 games this season.

Engvall has missed the last four games due to an upper-body injury but will return to the lineup on Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens. Engvall has five goals and nine assists in 41 games this season.

Boqvist did not participate at practice on Monday due to an illness but will be ready to play against the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday evening. The offensively gifted defenceman has four points (0G / 4A) in his last five games while quarterbacking the top powerplay unit.

Bear will exit the lineup for the first time since joining the Capitals team at the end of December. In 11 games, Bear has two points (1G / 1A), 19 shots, and 17 blocks. Alexander Alexeyev will also be a healthy scratch for the Capitals as Rasmus Sandin and Trevor van Riemsdyk will draw back into the lineup.

Varlamov has been out since January 2nd due to a lower-body injury but returned Tuesday to back up Ilya Sorokin and is expected to start Thursday vs. Montreal. The 35-year-old back up has exclaimed his excitement for new Head Coach Patrick Roy, who he played under in Colorado during Roy's inaugural coaching tenure. Varlamov is positing an impressive 6-4-2 record, 2.78 GAA And .918 SV% on the season. He will take on Montreal on Thursday.

Despite Semyon Varlamov being activated from the injured reserve, Sorokin will start for the 10th straight game. Sorokin was tremendous in the Islanders' first game with new head coach Patrick Roy on Sunday, saving 40 of 42 shots (.952 SV%) in a 3-2 overtime victory over the Dallas Stars. Sorokin has struggled to stay consistent this season and has allowed three or more goals in six of his last eight games (2-5-1), posting a pedestrian .902 SV%. The Islanders are -149 home favourites against a Vegas Golden Knights club that played last night and lost 6-5 in overtime to the New Jersey Devils.

Despite Semyon Varlamov being activated from the injured reserve, Sorokin will likely start for the 10th straight game. Sorokin was tremendous in the Islanders' first game with new head coach Patrick Roy on Sunday, saving 40 of 42 shots (.952 SV%) in a 3-2 overtime victory over the Dallas Stars. Sorokin has struggled to stay consistent this season and has allowed three or more goals in six of his last eight games (2-5-1), posting a pedestrian .902 SV%. The Islanders are -149 home favourites against a Vegas Golden Knights club that played last night and lost 6-5 in overtime to the New Jersey Devils.

Varlamov has been sidelined most of the last month, battling a lower-body injury. Varlamov has been serviceable while backing up Ilya Sorokin this season, posting a 2.78 GAA and .918 SV% in 14 appearances (6-4-2). Before his injury, he was playing about one of every three games for the Islanders, but it is unclear if that trend will continue under their new bench boss, Patrick Roy.

Rittich has earned himself a third straight start, and fourth in the last five games, in a favourable matchup against the San Jose Sharks on Monday. Rittich has been a bright spot during a poor stretch for the Kings, going 3-1-1 with a .937 SV% and being responsible for the Kings' only three victories in the last 14 games (3-7-4). Despite their poor play lately, the Kings are sizeable -387 home favourites against a Sharks club that is 2-7-1 in their last 10.

Sorokin allowed four goals on 24 shots in the Islanders' overtime loss in Chicago on Friday. Sorokin has allowed three or more goals in six of his lat seven starts, going 1-5-1 with an .893 SV% during that stretch. Tonight, he'll face a Stars team that has won five of their last seven games while averaging 4.1 goals per game.

Sorokin will start the eighth straight game on Friday and attempt to snap a three-game losing streak. Sorokin has only one win in his last six outings (1-5-0), allowing three or more goals five times, posting a pedestrian .900 SV%. That said, Sorokin is coming off a great performance in a losing effort, saving 40 of 43 shots (.930 SV%) in a 4-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets. The Islanders have a favourable matchup as they are -250 road favourites against a Chicago Blackhawks club that played last night and was shut out 3-0 by the Buffalo Sabres

MacLean will likely suit up on the fourth line in his NHL debut on Friday against the Chicago Blackhawks. The undrafted 24-year-old out of Livingston, New Jersey has spent the entirety of the last four seasons in the AHL, tallying 78 points (29G / 49A) in 193 games.

Sorokin will likely start the eighth straight game on Friday and attempt to snap a three-game losing streak. Sorokin has only one win in his last six outings (1-5-0), allowing three or more goals five times, posting a pedestrian .900 SV%. That said, Sorokin is coming off a great performance in a losing effort, saving 40 of 43 shots (.930 SV%) in a 4-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets. The Islanders have a favourable matchup as they are -250 road favourites against a Chicago Blackhawks club that played last night and was shut out 3-0 by the Buffalo Sabres.

The Kings will likely return to Rittich between the pipes for the second time in the last three games after he helped end their eight-game losing streak. Rittich is responsible for the Kings' only two victories during a horrid 2-5-4 stretch. Rittich has been limited to only five appearances this season (3-0-1) but has played well when called upon, posting a stellar 1.61 GAA and .932 SV%. Despite their struggles, the Kings are -139 home favourites against the Nashville Predators, who are coming off a 4-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.