Game Preview: NY Islanders vs. Toronto Maple Leafs: What Really Happens Will Choke You…

The NY Islanders experienced their first-ever third-period collapse when they rallied against the Los Angeles Kings in what turned out to be the most thrilling game of the season. Playing a solid game through two periods, the Isles headed into the final frame trailing by two to one of the NHL’s best teams but struggled to generate offense.

Anders Lee put the Isles on the scoreboard at 8:42 into the third quarter, but he added another goal seven minutes later to tie the game at two. For the tenth time this season, the game was headed to overtime before JG Pageau finished it in 13 seconds, earning the Isles a well-earned two points.

The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Nashville Predators 4-0 on Saturday night when they hosted them.Goaltender Ilya Samsonov earned a shutout by stopping all 18 shots that were directed at him, and Auston Matthews scored twice.

HISTORICAL MATCHUP

Every time these two teams meet, especially on Long Island, there is usually a boisterous environment. Every time former captain John Tavares is on the ice, the Isles supporters continue to loudly express their animosity toward him.

Last season, the Isles defeated the Leafs twice out of three games, with a 7-2 win in their most recent meeting. After Toronto had taken a 1-0 lead into the first half, the rest of the game was all Islanders.In addition to goals from Zach Parise, Hudson Fasching, Simon Holmstrom, Noah Dobson, and Anders Lee, Cal Clutterbuck scored twice throughout the game.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

After a solid showing against the Kings, Ilya Sorokin appears to be starting tonight. With a 3.12 GAA and 913 SV% in 17 games this season, Sorokin hasn’t been his usual dominant self. In an effort to improve on his performance from Saturday, he’ll try to regain his position as one of the league’s best goalies.

With just two points separating him from 1,000 for his career, John Tavares will be the target of both players and fans. They’ll want to make sure the milestone isn’t reached on their watch because many of their old teammates are still active with the Islanders.

PROJECTED LINEUP

NYI

Anders Lee- Bo Horvat- and Matthew Barzal
Pierre Engvall- Brock Nelson, and Kyle Palmieri
Simon Holmstrom- J.G. Pageau, and Julien Gauthier
Hudson Fasching- Casy Cizikas, and Cal Clutterbuck

Alexander Romanov- Noah Dobson
Samuel Bolduc and Robert Bortuzzo
Mike Reilly- Scott Mayfield

Ilya Sorokin
Semyon Varlamov

TOR

Matthew Knies- Austin Matthews, and William Nylander
Tyler Bertuzzi- John Tavares, and Mitch Marner
Nicholas Robertson- Max Domi, and Calle Jankrok
Noah Gregor, David Kampf, and Ryan Reaves

Morgan Rielly TJ Brodie
William Lagesson, Jake McCabe
Simon Benoit and Connor Timmins

Ilya Samsonov
Martin Jones