Islanders Face Rangers in Preseason as Veterans Take the Ice
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The short version
- The Islanders face the Rangers in an away preseason game.
- Four prospects were assigned to their junior clubs: Dravecky, Hood, Poletin, and Romano.
- Cal Ritchie moves to center while Mat Barzal is injured.
- Pete DeBoer said lineup combinations are intentional but should not be overinterpreted.
New York plays its third exhibition game of the fall, with the regular-season opener about a week away.
The New York Islanders meet the Rangers on the road Monday night in preseason play. Once the game is finished, half of the exhibition schedule will be complete, and the regular season will be roughly a week away.
The club trimmed its roster earlier in the week, returning four prospects to their junior teams: Vladimir Dravecky to Guelph, Burke Hood to Vancouver, Tomas Poletin to Kelowna, and Luca Romano to Kitchener.
An injury to Mat Barzal has opened a center spot for Cal Ritchie. Head coach Pete DeBoer indicated that the lineup combinations against the Rangers carry meaning, while cautioning observers not to draw firm conclusions from them.
DeBoer, speaking about Kashawn Aitchelson skating alongside Tony DeAngelo, said that every pairing and line combination reflects a deliberate thought process rather than guesswork, but added that no single grouping should be overanalyzed.
Written by the Matchday Live desk from reporting by Yahoo Sports.
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