Islanders looking to form chemistry with line combinations before NHL season begins

"Some personnel combinations will still change. But the lineup the Islanders dressed for Monday night's penultimate preseason game against the Rangers at UBS Arena featured almost all the players that will take the ice for season opener in Pittsburgh on Oct. 9. "It's really about trying to be as crisp as possible and establishing a line of communication where we're building toward getting ourselves ready," Kyle Palmieri said. As such, having an NHL-ready lineup placed a significant emphasis on the Islanders raising their level of play, particularly from a sloppy 4-2 loss to visiting Devils on Friday night."

""What I really want to see is good execution," coach Patrick Roy said. "Execution is a big part of games. I want to make sure we've got good tape-to-tape passes. More importantly, I want to see us connected. I want to make sure we're playing as a unit of five. Everybody has a role to play." Captain Anders Lee (upper body) did not dress - he's aiming to play Thursday night's preseason finale in Philadelphia - and backup goalie David Rittich got the start with Ilya Sorokin expected to play the full game against the Flyers. Otherwise, the defense pairings of Alexander Romanov with Tony DeAngelo, Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock and No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer with Scott Mayfield are very likely the ones that will face the Penguins."

Most Islanders who will start the regular season dressed for the penultimate preseason game, signaling a largely set roster for the Oct. 9 opener in Pittsburgh. The team emphasized crisp execution, tape-to-tape passes and five-man connectivity after a sloppy 4-2 loss to New Jersey. Coach Patrick Roy prioritized roles and unit play while moving Mathew Barzal back to center and placing him off Bo Horvat's wing. Projected defense pairs include Romanov–DeAngelo, Pelech–Pulock and Schaefer–Mayfield. Anders Lee remained out with an upper-body issue but aims to play the preseason finale. Ilya Sorokin is expected to play the full game against the Flyers.

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