ISLES NOTES
– Marcus Hogberg will get the start on Saturday against the Flames. It’ll mark the first start since Mar. 9 in Anaheim for the Swedish netminder, who has a record of 2-3-0, a .938 SV%, a 1.70 GAA and through six starts and eight appearances.
– Roy explained that he wants to give Sorokin proper stretch as the Isles head into a crucial stretch of the season. Sorokin is 5-1-1 in his last seven starts, along with a .927 SV% and a 2.28 GAA over that span.
“We’re playing almost every other day,” Roy said. “I know we have a back-to-back game in Tampa and Carolina after the homestand, so we’re going to try to manage [Sorokin’s] schedule as best as we can.”
– Alexander Romanov joined the Isles for practice on Friday and is likely to make his return to the lineup after missing two games with an illness, but confirmation will come closer to Saturday’s puck drop.
“He looked good today and said he felt good,” Roy said. “I think he’ll be in the lineup tomorrow.”
– The Islanders are 10-2-1 in their last 13 home games and the next three contests at UBS Arena present a huge opportunity for the Isles to collect more important points on home ice.
“We have that home crowd advantage, it plays a factor,” Anders Lee said. “We’re right there in the playoff push, it’ll be great to be in front of our fans for that.”
– Tony DeAngelo, Noah Dobson and Sorokin all had two-assist performances. Per team statistician Eric Hornick, Thursday marked the first time since November 28, 1992, against Philadelphia that three non-forwards have done so (Uwe Krupp, Tom Kurvers and Jeff Norton).
– Simon Holmstrom extended his point streak to three games, with a power-play goal on Thursday night after he buried two consecutive empty net goals.
– The Islanders power play converted twice in the win, for the first time since Mar. 8 in a 4-1 win against the San Jose Sharks. On the other side of special teams, the Isles PK also had some big kills and went 4-for-5 on the night.
– Lee recorded his 500th point on Thursday night with an assist. Max Tsyplakov was the first to point it out to him, as Lee said that Tysplakov said “500!” to him between periods.
“It’s pretty amazing, I’m just enjoying this ride,” Lee reflected on the milestone. “I ‘m very grateful to have played with some wonderful players in this organization that helped me get to that mark.”
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