The New York Islanders will play their second game of the 2024-5 season at the Dallas Stars. This game is likely to be a frustrating test for the Islanders. Dallas has started 1-0, but in the last two seasons, Dallas has been a one-hundred-point team. Dallas has had some turnover in their roster since last season, but it still is a good team. This game starts a three-game, mini West Coast swing for the Islanders. The Islanders play at Colorado and at the surprising St. Louis Blues before coming home.
Dallas Provides a Tough Test for the Islanders
The road game at the Stars will be difficult for the Islanders, who face a challenging schedule at the beginning of the season. Dallas is good, but the Islanders are disadvantaged by playing in Dallas. The game is the home opener for the Stars and will likely be somewhat delayed by pregame festivities. The Stars are planning to introduce the players before the game, and there will be four hours of festivities for the fans before the puck drops, which is certain to rile them up.
The Islanders were fortunate to escape their first game with the Utah Hockey Club, a 5-4 overtime loss, with no apparent injuries. They hope to address some of their problems in that first game. The ‘loser point’ the Islanders got in their loss to the Utah Hockey Club was one less than they wanted, and they need to be careful to avoid starting the 2024-5 season 0-1-1.
It is certainly the case that if the Islanders do not play well they could fall behind in the Metropolitan Division, like last year. They do not want a hole to dig themselves out of, like last season, when they made the playoffs in the last game of the season.
Islanders Roster Changes for the Second Game
The Islanders will likely start the same players as in the first game at home against the Utah Hockey Club. One obvious exception will be in goal, where expecting Ilya Sorokin instead of Semyon Varlamov is reasonable. Varlomov formerly played for the Colorado Avalanche, so he is likely to tend the net in that game, with Sorokin starting game number two at Dallas. Sorokin had off-season back surgery, but he dressed as the backup goaltender in the season opener, which meant he could have played in that game, so he is healthy.
It is reasonable to wonder if Maxim Tsyplakov and Anthoney DuClair, the Islander’s two most noteworthy off-season additions, will play as well as they did in the season opener when they both scored goals. In particular, one can wonder if Tsyplakov will be as physical of a presence as he was in the first game of the season.
Dallas Stars This Season
The Dallas roster features a top-line of Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz, and Logan Stankoven. The second line features Mason Marchment, Matt Duchene, and Tyler Seguin, The third line has Jamie Benn, Wyatt Johnston, and Evgenii Dadonov. Seguin and Benn are long-time stars for Dallas. The fourth line has Sam Steel, Oskar Back, and Colin Blackwell.
The defensive pairings are Miro Heiskanen with Matt Dumba, Thomas Harley with Ilya Lyubushkin, and Esa Lindell with Nils Lundkvist. The two goaltenders are Jake Oettinger and Casey DeSmith.
Conclusion
The Islanders should be happy if they escape Dallas with one point, two points would be a bonus in this difficult game. After the game against Dallas, the Islanders travel to Denver for a game against the Colorado Avalanche on Monday, October 14. The Colorado Avalanche are very good, and playing at their place will also be a difficult test for the Islanders.
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