Lighthouse Hockey: Try to fixate on something else.
The Islanders are back from the road and primed for that classic “first game after the trip” letdown, although several games on their Western sojourn were a letdown, so hopefully they don’t feel like they can ease into things. Meeting them this afternoon in Elmont are the Buffalo Sabres, who have been on an absolute […]
about 1 hour ago | 0 reads
Joined by Skates at the Stakes’ AJ DeVito, we remember defenseman Robin Salo, who never seemed to get a real chance with the Islanders and then disappeared without a trace. Many sports fans have their favorite “pet prospects” that they root for to make it in the pros. Not only does AJ count Robin Salo […]
about 20 hours ago | 0 reads
The Islanders have emptied their suitcases, reacquainted themselves with family and hopefully got a good nap in as they returned from an epic but so-so seven-game road trip out west. They’ve got seven games left before the Olympic break, all fairly local (trips to D.C. and Philly are as far as they go), and the […]
about 21 hours ago | 0 reads
Well, that sucked. While the power play has been an issue for this team for a while, with multiple different coaches struggling to find a combination that works consistently on a team that’s struggled to find finishing talent, it still seems like something’s got to change with this current coaching staff. 1-for-7 against the very […]
2 days ago | 0 reads
They’re almost finished! The Islanders will finish their season-long seven-game road trip in Seattle tonight, with a chance to make it 4-2-1, which would be a success no matter how they get there. Seattle has lost three in a row and is just outside the wild card in the West. But they feel like they’re […]
3 days ago | 0 reads
The Islanders needed to win in Vancouver — home of the last-place Canucks — and they did but it was not pretty nor reassuring as they squeaked by with a comeback 4-3 victory over a team that was winless in its last 10 coming in. Anthony Duclair continued his One Hot Road Trip with a […]
4 days ago | 2 reads
Mike and Dan recap a week of bizarre Islanders games and bring forth an epic Master Leaf Theatre/Ranger Piece Theater double feature with special guest Dominik Jansky. The Western Canada portion of their road trip has seen one exhilarating and miraculous win and two disappointing losses full of missed opportunities. By playing in fits and […]
5 days ago | 0 reads
The Islanders have two games left on the big seven-game trip, with tonight in Vancouver feeling like a “gotta have it” two points. With the Olympic break nearing, these next two games could be big for not only how the trip ledger balances out but also where the season heads. Dan and Mike talk about […]
5 days ago | 1 read
Some nights your goalie stands on his head and stuns an offense led by the most dangerous forward in the world, some afternoons you’re down 4-0 before the other team has gotten its 12th shot. The Islanders lost 4-2 in Calgary despite outshooting and outchancing the Flames, though still making enough mistakes to do themselves […]
7 days ago | 1 read
I am still reeling from that Ilya Sorokin performance on Thursday in Edmonton. Ye gods, that was a masterpiece. But anyway, on to the next one. The Islanders are in Calgary for an afternoon meeting, and David Rittich will start against his former team (though as he noted, there aren’t a lot of former teammates […]
7 days ago | 1 read
After an even first period, the Edmonton Oilers really took over the game tonight and the New York Islanders looked lost. But while Connor Ingram was pretty good for the Oilers, turning away 17 of 18 shots, he was no Ilya Sorokin. Sorokin rebounded nicely from a rough night in Winnipeg, picking up his fifth […]
8 days ago | 1 read
The Islanders’ road train is in Alberta for the end of the week, with a meeting vs. the Oilers in Edmonton on the docket. The goalie matchup looks like Ilya Sorokin opposite Connor Ingram. It appears the lineup will remain the same as the 5-4 loss in Winnipeg, including Max Tsyplakov as a scratch and […]
9 days ago | 1 read
The Islanders reversed a 3-0 deficit in the second period but promptly fell behind by two in a sloppily played second period by both sides that typified their Tuesday night in Winnipeg. The result was a 5-4 regulation loss — the Isles got one back with a sixth attacker after several never-give-up efforts to prevent […]
10 days ago | 3 reads
The Islanders are in Winnipeg, the Land of Butchie, where the Jets are just above the league basement but have finally won two in a row. Meanwhile, the Jets’ former coach landed a new gig after the NHL’s latest firing. For the Islanders, a lineup change that is consistent and a non-change that is out […]
11 days ago | 1 read
Mike and Dan recap a productive week for the Islanders and celebrate the performances of Ilya Sorokin, Anthony Duclair and Simon Holmstrom. The Islanders grabbed five of a possible six points in three very different games this week. One was a blowout that starred Duclair and also required 44 saves from Sorokin, giving him a […]
12 days ago | 1 read
Fresh off stealing one from one of the league’s few top teams (thanks, Ilya and Simon!), the Islanders now head to the President’s Trophy winner that has fallen on hard, near-bottom times — though the Jets have now won consecutive games for the first time since November. Before the Isles got to Winnipeg, they enjoyed […]
12 days ago | 3 reads
Simon Holmstrom had his biggest game as an Islander and Ilya Sorokin kept the Wild barrage at bay as the Isles won in overtime, 4-3 in Minnesota. This was an occasion where the Islanders were not the better side, but they refused to wilt nor slow their tempo against one of the top teams in […]
13 days ago | 1 read
The Islanders road trip chapter 2 is Saturday night in Minnesota, where Bill Guerin is riding high after acquiring Quinn Hughes while absorbing shots for not taking Your Favorite Player on the U.S. Olympic team that will play next month in the half-constructed rink in Italy. The Wild are tied with Dallas at 60 points […]
14 days ago | 1 read
Along with author and Capitals expert Ted Starkey, we remember Richard Zednik, a talented player and borderline legend for three NHL teams, but a footnote in Islanders history. Zednik started his career with the bang, as an exciting rookie on the Capitals 1998 Stanley Cup final team. He hit a new level after being traded […]
15 days ago | 2 reads
The New York Islanders followed up their gate-busting nine-goal romp over New Jersey with one measly goal against the Predators, falling 2-1 via shootout in Nashville. The outcome gives them a valuable point and keeps them in second place in the Metro (for now) as they begin their seven-game road trip, though they’ll feel it […]
15 days ago | 1 read
The hangover (hopefully not) from the Islanders’ raucous and absurd 9-0 romp over the New Jersey Devils Tuesday has hopefully subsided as they begin the first stop in a season-longest seven-game road trip tonight in Nashville. They’ll presumably continue without Bo Horvat in the lineup, though he is skating and on the road trip with […]
16 days ago | 1 read
Mat Barzal scored the game-winning goal 68 seconds in and then the New York Islanders decided to add eight more, just for insurance. There was more, of course — much more — to their 9-0 blowout of the New Jersey Devils, including a classic story of hockey goaltending. Ilya Sorokin made a triumphant return from […]
17 days ago | 4 reads
Matthew Schaefer scored two roof-raising goals in Saturday night’s win despite feeling unwell with what at least one report said was the flu. As he missed Monday’s practice and was listed “day to day (illness),” I’m struck that I’m not so much concerned that the Isles are less likely to win with him out of […]
18 days ago | 4 reads
Two episodes for the price of one! In our first ever positive emergency podcast, we hash out all of the many emotions we went through during the Islanders’ 4-3 overtime win over the Maple Leafs on Hockey Night in Canada starring Matthew Schaefer. For two periods, it looked like the game and the season might […]
19 days ago | 1 read
The Islanders are in a Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday pattern over the next couple of weeks as they finish their brief homestand with the Devils on Tuesday before a seven-game western road trip. That one starts with Nashville and Minnesota before crossing the border for Winnipeg and a full northwestern four-pack. But first, one more at home with […]
19 days ago | 2 reads