Sorokin was not available for the Islanders’ final game before the holiday break against the New Jersey Devils, which Rittich helped win. Then, after the three-day break, Sorokin was placed on injured reserve with what has been called a nagging injury. Because of the retroactive date, he is eligible to return for the Blackhawks matchup.

Rittich stopped 31 of 34 shots in Sunday's 4-2 loss to Columbus. The fourth goal was an empty-netter with 1:06 left in the game.

The New York Islanders had a very special guest in attendance for their first contest after the holiday break. As the team welcomed the New York Rangers for a c

While the big-picture situation on Sorokin still seems relatively optimistic — the Islanders will have dodged a bullet if he returns on Tuesday, or even if he comes back Thursday at home against Utah — the situation still looks murkier than it did before the break.

In a mirror result of a November loss, the Blue Jackets pulled off their first back-to-back regulation wins in almost two months.

The New York Islanders are set to come out of the holiday break with a matchup against the rival New York Rangers. But the Islanders are going to be a little sh

The Islanders allowed three goals in the final five minutes after Mathew Barzal was ejected for swinging his stick at Columbus' Mason Marchment in defense of rookie Matthew Schaefer.