Tanner Fritz
(AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

The New York Islanders are looking to shrug off their injury concerns as they continue their postseason push against the Montreal Canadiens.

Matt Di Giacomo

  • New York Islanders (42-24-7, 91 points)
  • Montreal Canadiens (38-28-7, 83 points)
  • 7:30 p.m. ET, MSG+, WRHU 88.7 FM
  • Centre Bell, Montreal, QC
The next two weeks will determine how far the New York Islanders can go this April, and they’ll have to press harder with a new-look lineup.

Tuesday night’s 5-0 decimation at the hands of the Boston Bruins stung, but not as much as the resulting injuries from that game.

Valtteri Filppula and Cal Clutterbuck sustained upper-body injury’s during the game, with only the latter returning to the ice.

The loss of Filppula will undoubtedly hurt, as he played a key role in the Islanders’ surging penalty-kill which sits 12th overall with an 81.1 percent success rate. As a result, the Islanders decided to recall center Tanner Fritz from the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

Fritz played four games earlier this season for the new-look Islanders and tallied an assist. It’s a very different feeling in the organization since he made his debut late last season under then-head coach Doug Weight.

Though Eberle likely out against the Canadiens, he will travel with the team as Barry Trotz insists he is considered day-to-day and will not miss significant time. It’s likely for this reason that the Islanders opted not to recall Josh Ho-Sang, to the ire of Islanders fans.

There is still a chance for a Ho-Sang reunion with the Isles as they have one call-up remaining before the playoffs are underway.

The Montreal Canadiens are coming off of a 3-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers as they continue a fierce push towards a playoff spot.

Sitting with 83 points, they are just one shy of the Columbus Blue Jackets and had a big hand being that they dispatched a direct competitor in the Flyers. Carey Price is expected to make his sixth-straight start in goal.

A Winning Duo

Isles fans will notice the temporary absence of Shannon Hogan during MSG’s broadcast while she expects her first child. For tonight and a handful of games this season, MSG Networks will look to get a huge boost from within from two members of the NCAA Division I Women’s National Championship.

After joining MSG Networks for Isles coverage, both Jennifer Botterill and AJ Mleczko have individually analyzed Isles performances between the benches.

When the Harvard Crimson made their run in 1999, it was Botterill who netted the championship-winning overtime goal with an assist from none other than Mleczko. Twenty years later, the duo reunites, this time in front of the camera to break down the Islanders performance.

From the side to the rink to a front-and-center look, the duo will continue to break down the Islanders performance during intermission in their broadcast debut.

Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on MSG+.

Grew up a diehard Islanders and Mets fan based out of Northern New Jersey. Concluding my Broadcast Communications degree at William Paterson University. WP Sportsdesk member, Stan Fischler correspondent, music buff and total Star Wars freak. Follow my social media handles to learn more. Matt Di Giacomo is a Staff Writer for the Islanders on Elite Sports NY. He encourages team discussion. Tweet him @mdigiacESNY and check out his reviews on YouTube.