Romanov is nearing a return but will likely miss a third straight game due to an upper-body injury on Wednesday. The 24-year-old Romanov has two points (0G / 2A), 19 blocks, and 14 hits in eight games this season.
On the opening night of a back-to-back, the Kings will turn to Rittich between the pipes. The 32-year-old Rittich started five straight games (3-2-0) before Darcy Kuemper returned from injury, posting a 3.09 GAA and .874 SV%. In his most recent outing, Rittich saved 24 of 26 shots (.923 SV%) in a 3-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks. Rittich and the Kings will visit the Sharks in San Jose for a rematch on Tuesday, with the Kings entering the action as -288 road favorites.
On the opening night of a back-to-back, the Kings will likely turn to Rittich between the pipes. The 32-year-old Rittich started five straight games (3-2-0) before Darcy Kuemper returned from injury, posting a 3.09 GAA and .874 SV%. In his most recent outing, Rittich saved 24 of 26 shots (.923 SV%) in a 3-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks. Rittich and the Kings will visit the Sharks in San Jose for a rematch on Tuesday, with the Kings entering the action as -288 road favorites.
Romanov did not play on Saturday and will miss a second game on Tuesday due to an upper-body injury. The 24-year-old Romanov has two points (0G / 2A), 19 blocks, and 14 hits in eight games this season.
Boqvist will be a healthy scratch for the first time this season on Monday against the Buffalo Sabres. Despite being a constant on a lethal Panthers' top powerplay unit, Boqvist has been limited to only two points (0G / 2A) in nine games this season while averaging a lowly 11:34 time-on-ice.
The Islanders have evenly split playing time between Semyon Varlamov and Sorokin through eight games this season and will continue the trend with an incoming back-to-back on Tuesday and Wednesday. Varlamov will start the tail end of the back-to-back on Wednesday and look to improve on a forgetful start to the 2024-25 season, posting an ugly 3.72 GAA and .854 SV% in four outings (1-2-1). The 36-year-old netminder is well off from his career average of 2.65 GAA and .916 SV%.
The Islanders have evenly split playing time between Semyon Varlamov and Sorokin through eight games this season and will continue the trend with an incoming back-to-back on Tuesday and Wednesday. Sorokin will start on Tuesday and look to improve on stellar totals early in the 2024-25 season, boasting a 1.74 GAA and .936 SV% in four outings (2-1-1). The Islanders will face off against an Anaheim Ducks club that has only scored 18 goals through eight games this season, fewest in the NHL.
Drouin was with the Avalanche at their morning skate on Sunday and has been upgraded to day-to-day. Drouin has not played since the first game of the season, missing eight consecutive contests. After several forgetful seasons, the 29-year-old Drouin had a career-high 56 points (19G / 37A) in 79 games last season.
After being the Islanders' starting goaltender in the first two games of the season, Varlamov has served as the backup to Ilya Sorokin in four of the last five games. Varlamov is expected to return to the starter's crease on Saturday, the tail end of a back-to-back, and search for his second victory of the season. The 36-year-old Varlamov, in his 17th NHL season, has started the 2024-25 season with undesirable results, showcasing a pedestrian 3.27 GAA and .868 SV% in three games (1-1-1).
After being the Islanders' starting goaltender in the first two games of the season, Varlamov has served as the backup to Ilya Sorokin in four of the last five games. Varlamov is expected to return to the starter's crease on Saturday, the tail end of a back-to-back, and search for his second victory of the season. The 36-year-old Varlamov, in his 17th NHL season, has started the 2024-25 season with undesirable results, showcasing a pedestrian 3.27 GAA and .868 SV% in three games (1-1-1).
Patrick Roy and the Islanders coaching staff will turn to Sorokin between the pipes on the front end of a back-to-back. After serving as the backup to Semyon Varlamov in the first two games of the season, Friday's start against the New Jersey Devils will make four starts for Sorokin in the last five games. The 29-year-old Sorokin has been excellent to start the 2024-25 season despite a modest 1-1-1 record, posting a stellar 1.34 GAA and .947 SV%. The Islanders enter action on Friday as +119 road underdogs against the Devils.
With Darcy Kuemper (lower body) still sidelined, the Kings will roll with Rittich in the crease for the fifth straight game. Rittich has been serviceable in this stretch, winning two of four contests (2-2-0), but had a rough time in his most recent outing, allowing six goals on 30 shots (.800 SV%) in a 6-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. That said, the Kings enter the action on Thursday as overwhelming -303 home favorites against the San Jose Sharks, the only team without a win this season (0-5-2).
With Darcy Kuemper (lower body) still sidelined, the Kings will roll with Rittich in the crease for the fifth straight game. Rittich has been serviceable in this stretch, winning two of four contests (2-2-0), but had a rough time in his most recent outing, allowing six goals on 30 shots (.800 SV%) in a 6-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. That said, the Kings enter the action on Thursday as overwhelming -303 home favorites against the San Jose Sharks, the only team without a win this season (0-5-2).
