New York Islanders News

Mayfield was forced to leave the Islanders' opening game vs Buffalo after blocking a shot and missed Tuesday's game against the Coyotes as a result. The 31-year-old defensemen is coming off a career season in 2022-23 which saw him collect career highs in goals (6), assists (18), and SOG (119). He was listed as a game-time decision for tonight's game against the Islanders, which suggests he should be nearing a return.

Varlamov has yet to start any of the Islanders' three games yet this season but had an 11-9-2 record, .913 SV% and 2.70 GAA in 2022-23. He takes on the struggling Buffalo Sabres who have dropped three of their first four games and are ranked 25th in the NHL in both goals for (2.25) and shots on goal (27.8).

It appears Sorokin will start for the third consecutive game to open the season for the Islanders, who are playing the front end of a back-to-back on Friday. In two games so far, Sorokin has been his usual, Vezina-caliber self, recording a 1.00 GAA and .952 SV% along with a shutout in two games (2-0-0). The Islanders are slight +105 home underdogs against the New Jersey Devils, who have only one win in their first three games (1-1-1).

It appears Sorokin will start for the third consecutive game to open the season for the Islanders, who are playing the front end of a back-to-back on Friday. In two games so far, Sorokin has been his usual, Vezina-caliber self, recording a 1.00 GAA and .952 SV% along with a shutout in two games (2-0-0). The Islanders are slight +105 home underdogs against the New Jersey Devils, who have only one win in their first three games (1-1-1).

Mayfield was forced to leave the Islanders' opening game vs Buffalo after just 16:47 TOI after taking a shot to the leg and is considered day-to-day and will miss Tuesday's matchup vs. Arizona. The 31-year-old defensemen is coming off a career season in 2022-23 which saw him collect highs in goals (6), assists (18), SOG (119), and PIMs (83) and will be hoping to be back sooner rather than later.

Last year's Vezina runner-up will look to continue his strong start in game two of the season for the Islanders. In his first contest, Sorokin was his usual self, stopping 26 of 28 shots and leading the Islanders to a 3-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres. The Islanders' familiar defensive structure should be on display once again this season, paving the way for the talented Sorokin to have another Vezina-worthy campaign. The Islanders are listed as -194 home favourites as they face off against an Arizona Coyotes team that is coming off a 2-1 loss to the New York Rangers last night.

The New Jersey Devils seem committed to continuing their goalie rotation early in the season as it appears Vanecek will return to the crease on Monday night. In his only game of the season thus far, Vanecek allowed three goals on 35 shots en route to securing a 4-3 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. The Devils are listed as -169 home favourites against a Florida Panthers team that has struggled immensely so far this season, scoring only four times in their first two games (0-2-0).

Mayfield was forced to leave the Islanders' opening game vs Buffalo after just 16:47 TOI after taking a shot to the leg and is considered day-to-day with high potential to miss Tuesday's matchup vs. Arizona. The 31-year-old defensemen is coming off a career season in 2022-23 which saw him collect highs in goals (6), assists (18), SOG (119), and PIMs (83) and will be hoping to be back sooner rather than later.

Foudy played only 12 shifts and 7:56 TOI in the Blue Jackets previous game and will be a healthy scratch Monday as they take on Detroit. The 23-year-old forward had seven goals, seven assists, 67 SOG, eight PIMs and a -26 plus/minus in 62 games played in 2022-23. He is being replaced by Jack Roslovic on Columbus' fourth line.

The New Jersey Devils seem committed to continuing their goalie rotation early in the season as it appears Vanecek will return to the crease on Monday night. In his only game of the season thus far, Vanecek allowed three goals on 35 shots en route to securing a 4-3 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. The Devils are listed as -169 home favourites against a Florida Panthers team that has struggled immensely so far this season, scoring only four times in their first two games (0-2-0).

Sorokin was outstanding in 2022-23, going 31-22-7 with a 2.34 GAA, .924 SV% and six shutouts. He finished second in the Veznia Trophy voting and ninth in the Hart Trophy. On Saturday, he will open up his season against a Sabres team that lost in their season opener. Sorokin was 1-0-1 while stopping 64 of the 69 shots (.928 SV%) he faced in two games vs. Buffalo last year. He was also stellar on home ice, going 20-10-3 with a 1.91 GAA and .925 SV%.

Sorokin was outstanding in 2022-23, going 31-22-7 with a 2.34 GAA, .924 SV% and six shutouts. He finished second in the Veznia Trophy voting and ninth in the Hart Trophy. On Saturday, he will open up his season against a Sabres team that lost in their season opener. Sorokin was 1-0-1 while stopping 64 of the 69 shots (.928 SV%) he faced in two games vs. Buffalo last year. He was also stellar on home ice, going 20-10-3 with a 1.91 GAA and .925 SV%.

Entering his fourth NHL season, Vanecek is coming off of his busiest campaign which saw him play 52 games (33-11-4) and record a 2.45 GAA and .911 SV%. Vanecek had an extremely strong start to last season before cooling down to a .896 SV% in his final 16 regular season games (9-6-1). His struggles continued in the postseason where he posted a 4.64 GAA and .825 SV% in seven games (4-1-3) and battled for time with Akira Schmid. The two goalies will likely share time in the crease this season unless one can pull away as the clear favourite. The New Jersey Devils are considered a serious Stanley Cup contender this season and open their campaign as -230 home favourites against the Detroit Red Wings.

The Islanders' waived Ross Johnston Tuesday which allowed them the salary expansion to recalled Simon Holmstrom from his loan from Bridgeport (AHL) ahead of their season opener. The 22-year-old right-winger was originally drafted by the Islanders in the first round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft (23rd overall) and appeared in 50 games in his rookie season in 2022-23, picking up six goals, three assists and 39 SOG.

Heineman was fighting for a final spot on Montreal's opening night roster but unfortunately has been informed Monday that he will be returned to Laval (AHL) on loan for the start of the 2023-24 season. The 21-year-old winger was drafted by Montreal in the second round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft (43rd overall) and has yet to make his NHL debut. He returns to Laval where he had seven goals, two assists, six PIMs, and a +5 plus/minus in a short, yet impressive 11-game debut in 2022-23.

Romanov was originally expected to miss a portion of training camp as he recovered from offseason shoulder surgery but is now "100 percent" to start training camp. The 23-year-old defencemen is coming off his first season in Long Island after recording two goals, 20 assists, 43 PIMs, and a +13 plus/minus through 76 games played. The bruising defensemen is expected to be a key piece of the Islanders' third defensive pair this season.

George was drafted by the Islanders in the fourth round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft (98th overall) and has signed a three-year, entry-level contract with New York. The 19-year-old defenseman is expected to return to the London Knights for the 2023-24 season where he had seven goals, 22 points, 14 PIMs and a +23 plus/minus through 54 games played in 2022-23.