Ilya Sorokin
FORWARDS: With the exception of the addition of Dmytro Timashov, a 24-year-old forward acquired from Detroit in the offseason, New York s top-six is unchanged from last year.
Mathew Barzal has been driving the offense, as the skilled young star has already posted four goals and 10 points. He and his linemates all had good showings in the Islanders last postseason run - as Josh Bailey led the team with 20 points in 22 games, Barzal ranked second with 18 and Anders Lee scored seven goals - and have been building on that thus far.
The second line is centered by Brock Nelson, who tied for first on the Islanders with nine goals in the playoffs after scoring a career-high 26 during the regular season to go along with 54 points in only 68 games. Like Lee, Nelson is the definition of a power forward and is always difficult to play against. The Islanders are hoping that veterans like him and Jordan Eberle can help Timashov find his footing in the league after bouncing aroun