Preview | January 3 vs. Halifax Mooseheads

A never-back-down attitude and hard work ethic has the Charlottetown Islanders trending in the right direction heading into action Friday night against the Halifax Mooseheads.

The Islanders (18-24-4-1) pulled out an improbable 5-4 shootout victory over the Mooseheads just last night, one in which the Islanders came back from behind on multiple occasions. The win couldn’t have come at a better time; the Islanders are now tied for eighth in the Eastern Conference standings alongside the Cape Breton Eagles with 39 points. They’re just a handful of points ahead of both the Acadie-Bathurst Titan and Saint John Sea Dogs, while within two points of the Val d’Or Foreurs, Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, and Drummondville Voltigeurs in the Western Conference standings.

For Halifax (33-7-4-2), the loss ended an 11-game winning streak; however, because the loss occurred in the shootout, the team still hasn’t lost in regulation in 22 games. The Mooseheads will be looking to serve a dish of revenge and start a new winning streak in the return matchup tonight at the Eastlink Centre.

ROSTER UPDATES

Charlottetown

Jeremie Biakabutuka returns to the lineup after serving a three-game suspension. Alexis Michaud remains day-to-day with an upper body injury.

Halifax

The Mooseheads iced a fully healthy lineup last night; Jack Martin, Jake Todd, and Liam Welsh all sat as healthy scratches.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Charlottetown

• Marcus Kearsey is coming off his best performance as a QMJHL player, adding a goal and assist, along with a goal in the shootout. The 16-year-old is third among rookie defensemen with 19 points this season.
  
• Owen Hollingsworth continues an outstanding stretch of play in Charlottetown’s top-six. After an assist last night, Hollingsworth now has points in six of his last seven games.

Halifax

• Nashville Predators first-round pick Zachary L’Heureux picked up two goals last night, making it four games in a row with at least a point. The agitating forward battled injuries at the start of the season but now has 33 points in 21 games.
  
• Jake Furlong added two assists last night. The San Jose Sharks prospect started the season strong offensively but has slowed down, with just five points in his last ten games. He’s looking to pick things back up.

SERIES AT A GLANCE

Charlottetown and Halifax have met six times previously this season, with the Mooseheads winning four of the six matchups. Charlottetown won the most recent matchup last night in a shootout.

WATCH AND LISTEN

Radio broadcast

All the action from the Eastlink Centre can be heard live on Max 93.1! Join George Matthews and Cory Arsenault for the pre-game show starting at 6:45pm.

Online video stream

All Islanders games are available on CHL TV. CHL TV is available to fans worldwide, providing high-quality streaming of QMJHL games on Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV platforms, via mobile with iOS and Android, and on web using Safari or Google Chrome web browsers. Visit watch.chl.ca for complete details and subscription options.

Single-game tickets for tonight’s games are available at the Eastlink Centre box office, by phone at 902-629-6625, or online by clicking HERE.