The New York Islanders welcome Maxim Shabanov and Scott Mayfield back to the lineup against the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday night. 

New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) on XShabanov is in for Tsyplakov and Mayfield is in for Boqvist. Read more in the #Isles Day to Day ⬇️ https://t.co/140nUrgjaA

Shabanov, who is projected to skate on the fourth line in Maxim Tsyplakov’s spot, has not played since sustaining an upper-body injury against the San Jose Sharks on Oct. 21.

He’s missed the last 12 games and has one goal and two assists for three points in six games.

Mayfield had missed the previous two games -- a 4-3 overtime win against the Vegas Golden Knights and a 3-2 overtime win against the Utah Mammoth -- as he and his wife welcomed their first child. 

Adam Boqvist played in his absence. Travis Mitchell, who was recalled from Bridgeport to serve as the seventh defenseman, was returned on Saturday. 

The University of Denver alum has three assists in 16 games this season, averaging 18:48 minutes per game. 

https://x.com/stefen_rosner/status/1990148453775655178?s=46&t=IRIFf8wmlEpx9YxSM0Kyjg

Puck drop is slated for 9 PM ET on MSGSN.

After Friday's overtime victory, the Nashville Predators couldn't carry over momentum into the final game of the NHL Global Series, falling to the Pittsburgh Penguins, 4-0, on Sunday at Avicii Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. 

The Penguins scored three unanswered goals in the first period and outshot the Predators 11-2. Pittsburgh scored an empty net goal inside the final three minutes of the game. 

It was the Predators' first shutout loss of the season and Nashville's worst loss of the season, as it was the first time it had lost by four goals. 

Here are three takeaways from Nashville's loss in the finale of the NHL Global Series. 

Offense was stagnant

Outside of the obvious that the Predators didn't score any goals, their offense struggled to generate anything the entire game. 

It wasn't until the third period that the Predators were able to break double-figures in their single-period shot total, outshooting the Penguins 11-7. Nashville had just six high-danger scoring chances the entire night, recording three in the second period, three in the third period and none in the first.

Nashville's offense as a whole has slowed over the last few games, scoring just 5 times in the last 3. 

The power play, which looked like it was beginning to heat up, went 0-for-4 on the night. Nashville had three power plays in the second period alone and failed to convert on any of the opportunities. 

The Predators' power play is now 10-for-62 for a 16% execution rate. That is the ninth-worst power play in the NHL. They also struggled with puck possession, giving it away 20 times to the Penguins 10 turnovers. 

Nashville managed to keep a clean sheet, staying out of the box for the first time this season. 

Saros' struggles continue 

Despite being one of the league leaders in shots faced and saves made, Juuse Saros has struggled in November. 

In five games played, he has a 3.18 goals against average and an .880 save percentage. He was yanked to start the third period in Monday's 6-3 loss to the New York Rangers after allowing five goals on 12 shots. 

On Sunday, he allowed three goals on just 11 shots in the first period, but Nashville chose to keep him in the net. Saros ended the game making 18 saves on 22 shots for a .857 save percentage and a 3.03 goals against average. 

Backup goalie Justus Annunen has struggled even more so. He is 0-3-1 on the year with a 3.98 goals against average and a .833 save percentage. 

In October, Saros was praised for his efforts to keep the Predators in games and standing on his head nearly every night. His elite play has sparked trade rumors across the league, despite his large contract.

However, given how things have gone this season, if Saros is struggling, so is the rest of the team. 

Something needs to change 

In the offseason, many deemed that the Global Series was going to be a major checkpoint. It's about a month and a half into the regular season and the Predators have the week off after. 

Sitting a 6-10-4 and coming off two bad losses in their last three games, the Predators need to make some sort of change, whether it be leadership or on the roster, heading into this next quarter of the season. 

Filip Forsberg and Ryan O'Reilly are carrying the offense, complemented by a surprise showing by Matthew Wood, who has 10 points in 12 games in his rookie year. Michael Bunting has been performing ahead of expectations as well, with 10 points in 19 games. 

Roman Josi can be thrown into that category as well before suffering an upper-body injury that has him on injured reserve. He has five points in eight games. 

Luke Evangelista and Erik Haula have the exact point total, but both had higher expectations coming into the season, especially Evangelista with the lengthy contract negotiations. 

Jonathan Marchessault has a low six points in 16 games and Steven Stamkos has a lower five points in 19 games. Brady Skjei has struggled from the start, as he has six points in 19 games and a plus/minus of -11. 

Spencer Stastney has been, arguably, the Predators' best defenseman, scoring 7 points in 19 games. Nick Blankenburg has been decent with six points in nine games. Significant offseason acquisitions Nick Perbix and Nic Hague have been underperforming, as both have just three points with a plus/minus under -3. 

Then there's the Andrew Brunette conversation. Pressure from the fandom continues to mount for the team to move on from the third-year head coach. 

This could be a big week for the Predators as they figure out where to go next, especially with matchups against the Colorado Avalanche and Florida Panthers on the horizon.

Up next: Colorado Avalanche (12-1-5) at Nashville Predators (6-10-4) on Saturday, Nov. 22 at Bridgestone Arena at 7 p.m. CST  

By Jared Clinton, Features Writer

When the New York Rangers hired Mike Sullivan early this off-season, doing so mere days after he had departed the division-rival Pittsburgh Penguins, some viewed it as a chance to change the culture in The Big Apple.

Some saw it as a statement. The Blueshirts have Stanley Cup aspirations, and so they brought aboard a serial winner and two-time Stanley Cup champion. Others, however, saw it as a necessity. After all, something had to change after last year’s disappointing performance.

Will Cuylle saw some of those things, too. But he also saw a coach who will have high expectations for the Rangers and one who will demand a hardworking culture. And perhaps most importantly, what Cuylle saw was an opportunity.

After a head-turning sophomore season – one in which he recorded the first 20-goal campaign of his career and registered 45 points, more than double his rookie total – Cuylle recognized that a fresh face meant a blank slate. And what Cuylle has learned in his short time in the NHL, which is about to see him play under his third coach in fewer than 200 big-league games, is that a new voice behind the bench means everyone starts from scratch.

“Whenever there’s more opportunity, you always want to try to make the most of it,” Cuylle said. “Some older players were traded away, so I think there’s obviously big voids that need to be filled. Someone’s gotta step it up and pass the torch off and make sure you try to fill that gap.”

Cuylle might just be the Ranger who is in the best position to fill one of the most significant gaps in the lineup, too. Because after a season during which there was much speculation, spurred on in no small part by New York’s struggles, career-Ranger Chris Kreider was shipped to the Anaheim Ducks for spare parts over the summer. When it comes to replacing Kreider as a heart-and-soul leader for the Rangers, that will undoubtedly take time. But filling his spot in the lineup? Well, perhaps Cuylle can do that in short order.

THERE’S OBVIOUSLY BIG VOIDS THAT NEED TO BE FILLED.SOMEONE’S GOTTA STEP IT UP AND TRY TO FILL THAT GAP– Will Cuylle

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What should give the Rangers faith that Cuylle can be the answer to the Kreider-shaped hole in the lineup is that both share a willingness to get to the tough areas, not to mention similar frames with which to create some net-front havoc. Last season, Cuylle was at his most effective when mixing it up just outside the blue paint: per the NHL’s advanced-stat tracking, 60 of his 152 shots on goal came from high-danger areas, and he scored 14 of his 20 tallies from in tight.

Where that could be of most benefit to the Rangers – and where Cuylle could thus be the greatest benefactor of Kreider’s departure – is on the power play. Last season, Cuylle ate around the edges with the man advantage, skating less than one-third of the power-play minutes that Kreider did. And if Cuylle’s performance in his limited ice time under former Rangers coach Peter Laviolette is any indication, greater minutes, including more with the man advantage, will lead to a breakout campaign.

The evidence of that can be found in Cuylle’s even-strength production. While he might not have been in the upper echelon of NHL scorers, he was in the very next tier. Per 60 minutes at five-on-five last season, he was tied for 46th in point production among nearly 300 skaters who played at least 1,000 minutes. His 2.1 points per hour put him ahead of the likes of William Nylander, Mark Scheifele, Jake Guentzel and rookie sensation Macklin Celebrini.

I WANT TO KEEP BUILDING MY GAME OVERALL: 200-FOOT GAME, DOING ALL THE THINGS RIGHT AND CONTINUING TO WORK HARD– Will Cuylle

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Cuylle made the most of his minutes, including at the World Championship. His average ice time at the tournament was sub-10 minutes, but that didn’t stop him from potting two goals and four points in eight games, good enough for seventh in scoring for Canada.

The expectation, of course, won’t be for Cuylle to double his production the moment he slots into a top-six role. Nuance is necessary. Playing up the lineup means facing tougher competition on a shift-by-shift basis, and greater minutes don’t guarantee greater production.

But when Cuylle is doing his job, it manifests as more than points on the board. He can be a forechecking terror and an absolute wrecking ball in all three zones. Look no further than his 301 hits last season, which led the Rangers and tied him for third in the NHL.

And while he’d love to take a monster step forward, his goal is incremental growth.

“You have to take advantage of that when you can,” Cuylle said. “From last year to this year, I want to keep building my game overall: 200-foot game, making sure I’m doing all the things right and continuing to work hard, play hard and try to help the team as much as I can.”

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This is an excerpt of a feature that appeared in The Hockey News' Goalie Issue 2025. We profile NHLers Connor Hellebuyck, Jake Oettinger and Karel Vejmelka, and we look at the art of puckhandling. Also, we say goodbye to three goaltending greats in Ken Dryden, Bernie Parent and Ed Giacomin.

Elsewhere in the issue, we count down the NHL's best crease duos, look at the future of goaltending for every NHL organization, explore what rule changes the NHL could "borrow" from other leagues and feature some of the best keepers from leagues across North America and the world.

You can get it in print for free when you subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/Free today. All subscriptions include complete access to more than 76 years of articles at The Hockey News Archive.