The New York Islanders were supposed to be one of the Eastern Conference’s best teams this season, but they’ve surprisingly struggled and enter Tuesday’s game against the Boston Bruins in the cellar of the Metropolitan Division.
Andrew Ladd, who was New York’s prized free-agent acquisition of the summer, has failed to meet expectations so far. He’s tallied just seven points (four goals, three assists) in 31 games, along with minutes on the fourth line.
The Bruins, meanwhile, are coming off a 1-0 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday without top goal scorer David Pastrnak, who also will miss Tuesday’s matchup.
The B’s recalled 22-year-old forward Frank Vatrano on Monday, but Claude Julien told reporters Tuesday morning he won’t play against the Isles. Vatrano hasn’t played yet this season because of a foot injury, but he’s been cleared to play.
Here are the projected lines and pairings for both teams.
BOSTON BRUINS (17-13-3)
Brad Marchand–Patrice Bergeron–Riley Nash
Ryan Spooner–David Krejci–David Backes
Tim Schaller–Austin Czarnik–Noel Acciari
Anton Blidh–Dominic Moore–Jimmy Hayes
Zdeno Chara–Brandon Carlo
Torey Krug–Adam McQuaid
Kevan Miller–Colin Miller
Tuukka Rask
NEW YORK ISLANDERS (11-14-6)
Anders Lee–John Tavares–Josh Bailey
Shane Prince–Brock Nelson–Anthony Beauvillier
Nikolai Kulemin–Ryan Strome–Cal Clutterbuck
Andrew Ladd–Alan Quine–Jason Chimera
Nick Leddy–Travis Hamonic
Thomas Hickey–Johnny Boychuk
Calvin de Haan–Dennis Seidenberg
Jaroslav Halak
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
