EAST MEADOW, N.Y. -- New York Islanders forward Ryan Strome will see a very familiar face when he looks across the ice on Friday.
Strome will go head-to-head against his younger brother, forward Dylan Strome, when the Islanders host the Arizona Coyotes at Barclays Center (7 p.m. ET; MSG+, FS-A, NHL.TV).
"It's going to be weird, that's for sure," Ryan said. "I've never played against my brother before at the highest level, so it's kind of a unique experience."
The Coyotes will have a day off in New York City on Saturday before they play at the New York Rangers on Sunday. The Islanders also are off Saturday, which will give Ryan, 23, and Dylan, 19, a rare opportunity to get together. Arizona boarded a late flight to New York following a 5-2 loss at the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.
Ryan and Dylan's parents will be in attendance on Friday after watching Dylan play in Montreal.
"It'll be nice to hang out for the day," Ryan said. "[The Coyotes] play the Rangers Sunday, so it does work out kind of good. I guess what I always envisioned was a dinner the night before, but we couldn't do that. [Saturday] we'll have to take care of business."
Ryan and Dylan each enjoyed successful junior careers in the Ontario Hockey League, Ryan with Barrie and Niagara (295 points in 225 games) and Dylan with Erie (279 points in 184 games). Ryan had 50 points (17 goals, 33 assists) in his first full season with the Islanders in 2014-15 before a tough second season, when he had 28 points (eight goals, 20 assists) in 71 games which included a stop with Bridgeport of the American Hockey League.
Dylan got an assist in his NHL debut on Tuesday, a 7-4 loss against the Ottawa Senators.
"I think he's more of a scorer, but he might beg to differ," Ryan said. "He's got a great shot, but we're both kind of puck savvy. I think we're both guys that think the game well, not necessarily the fastest, but I think with our minds we can think the game well. We both like to have the puck on our sticks. He's a lefty [shot], I'm a righty, so there's a couple of different things. But all in all, it's probably easy to pick out of a group that we're brothers."
Much like his older brother, Dylan was a first-round pick; the Coyotes selected him No. 3 at the 2015 NHL Draft. The Islanders drafted Ryan at No. 5 in 2011. The elder brother was in the audience when Dylan was drafted, a much different experience from when Ryan walked to the podium four years earlier.
"I was almost like emotional, because it's such a whirlwind," Ryan said. "To be on the other side of the experience, it's almost just as nerve-wracking. You're not worried about yourself, you're worried about what's going on. It was great. He's very deserving of everything he's done so far and everything he's going to do. He works very hard. It's great to see his dreams come true.
"Unfortunately, I'm going to have to try to put a stop to that tonight, but obviously I want the best for him. It's pretty cool."
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