Islanders vs. Golden Knights Preview: A first time for everything

The New York Islanders host the (Las) Vegas Golden Knights for the franchises’ first meeting in their history, with the home team running the same lineup that ran away with things against the Predators in Nashville, including Jaroslav Halak receiving a second consecutive start.

That means more Ryan Pulock (yay!) and Dennis Seidenberg (oh...) and Thomas Hickey and Scott Mayfield are the blueliners drawing the short straws as healthy scratches.

Islanders (6-4-1, 4th/Metro) vs. Golden Knights (8-1-0, 2nd/Pac)
7 p.m. EDT | [bank or old guy’s name] Center in Brooklyn
Broadcasts: MSG+, 88.7FM - WRHU, AM970 - The Answer, 103.9FM LI News
Opposition Research: Knights On Ice

Lineup

Anders Lee - John Tavares - Josh Bailey
Brock Nelson - Mathew Barzal - Jordan Eberle
Andrew Ladd - Casey Cizikas - Jason Chimera
Nikolay Kulemin - Anthony Beauvillier - Cal Clutterbuck

Nick Leddy - Johnny Boychuk
Calvin de Haan - Dennis Seidenberg
Adam Pelech - Ryan Pulock

Knights

Despite lots of roster drama created by their expansion-draft requirement of claiming 30 players from their NHL brethren, plus an on-going and almost Islanders-esque conflict with big KHL free agent signing (and now suspended, soon to be terminated) Vadim Shipachyov, the new guys have been good.

Like one loss, 8-1-0, second-in-the-Pacific good!

Here’s Isles coach Doug Weight describing ex-Isles employees George McPhee and Gerard Gallant’s boys:

"They work hard, they are well coached and they have done a good job. [GM] George [McPhee] has built a team of guys that have a lot to prove and guys that have skill, a solid D corps... They had a pretty good pool of players to pick from. They have a good team and are up in the top of the league for a reason - their work ethic and they're scoring some big goals."

Speaking of their roster shuffle though, former Ducks first-rounder Shea Theodore was recalled from AHL Chicago today and is expected to make his team debut. In a bit of irony, ex-Isles first rounder Griffin Reinhart — who fetched Mathew Barzal for the Isles, essentially — was sent back to the AHL as part of the transactions.

It’s a meeting of two of the three NHL Stars of the Week as the Knights expect to start young Oscar Dansk (2nd star to Johnny T.’s 1st star) in goal.

Islanders History vs. Expansion

Dan was plowing through history about the Isles’ (mis)fortunes with previous expansion debutantes...

...and also his own personal nightmares:

Good luck tonight, all!