Lighthouse Hockey: Try to fixate on something else.
The Islanders have a daunting November road trip ahead, but the travel part doesn’t kick in until later this week. For now, and tonight, they’re just over in Newark to complete the weekend’s metro area tour. That started with a thud at home on Long Island in an uninspiring loss to the Wild, but rebounded […]
3 months ago | 5 reads
Yeah, I think I’ll accept a flat home loss to the Wild in exchange for a Garden-silencing shutout of the Rangers any weekend. The Isles bounced back from a poor Friday night in front of home fans by pleasing plenty other home fans at Madison Square Garden with a 5-0 shutout of their pajama-clad rivals. […]
3 months ago | 4 reads
The Islanders and Rangers have their first meeting of the season in Manhattan tonight, with both teams playing the second half of a back-to-back. In theory the Isles have the advantage, since they played at home (but poorly) last night, while the Rangers are coming back from Detroit, where they beat the Red Wings handily. […]
3 months ago | 5 reads
Woof. The Islanders were thoroughly outplayed by a team that was on the back end of a traveling back-to-back, looking like a rusty, uninspired squad. It wasn’t laziness or lack of trying, rather it just looked like no one was in sync, no one could make or catch a pass — save for a couple […]
3 months ago | 6 reads
The Islanders are back in action for a hyperlocal back-to-back, with the Wild at home tonight followed by a visit to the Rangers on Saturday night to tee up a long and dreaded Western trip. The Wild are coming in on a back-to-back after losing in Raleigh last night, but we know quite well that […]
3 months ago | 4 reads
The Islanders had an extra day (and day off) to stew over missed opportunities in the shootout loss to the Bruins, and also for Matthew Schaefer to go on TNT and haze Henrik Lundqvist for being a Ranger. Speaking of which, tomorrow’s home game vs. the Wild is the start of a back-to-back that ends […]
3 months ago | 5 reads
The Islanders will try to make it a win streak tonight when they host the Bruins. For a change, they do not enter the evening in last place…they’re just among five teams tied for last in the East with 13 points. First Islanders Goal picks for tonight go here. Islanders News Elsewhere Four games last […]
3 months ago | 2 reads
Mike and Dan recap a busy week in which the Islanders stayed afloat thanks in large part to record-breaking super rookie Matthew Schaefer. The week started very poorly, with another blown lead followed by another blowout to a familiar bully. But what looked like a new bottom gave way to an unexpected rebound. A comeback […]
3 months ago | 3 reads
The Islanders capped an impressive third period with a stunning reversal of fortune in a 29-second span to steal back a 3-2 win over the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday. The Blue Jackets were playing back-to-back, after withstanding a similar third-period surge at home the night before. With a pretty entertaining and physical game […]
3 months ago | 4 reads
The Islanders return home for a brief spell with an early 5 p.m. EST start — though maybe not so early, given body clocks still on EDT — with the Columbus Blue Jackets, who are coming in on a back-to-back. The Blue Jackets beat the Blues at home, 3-2, last night, behind 37 saves by […]
3 months ago | 4 reads
Our friend John Muir is back to talk about three hockey cards of inaugural Islanders he came across in an unlikely location. While on a hunt for Pokémon cards with his kids, John found some NHL trading cards from 1972 that captured the soon-to-be-hapless Islanders in all their haplessness. One was a depth forward who […]
3 months ago | 3 reads
The Islanders’ fruitless four-game road trip continues in Washington after an eminently forgettable loss to the Hurricanes last night in Raleigh. They enter the evening last in the Eastern Conference — by points percentage as well as raw points now after last night’s regulation loss — and for many Isles fans, that’s quite according to […]
3 months ago | 3 reads
The Islanders lost easily in Raleigh, a fairly predictable result made moreso by the pre-game news that Mathew Barzal would be scratched as discipline for being late to the morning skate. It was never really close, with the Isles down 2-0 just over five minutes in — ex-Isles Mike Reilly adding a WTF shorthanded wraparound […]
3 months ago | 2 reads
The Islanders did not skate yesterday, so today’s morning skate is where we’ll get lineup updates (if any) and further sentiments on what went wrong against the Bruins. The 6-3 Carolina Hurricanes are their foes tonight, while the Islanders sit last in the conference by points — though their points percentage is a little better […]
3 months ago | 1 read
The Islanders came up empty against a struggling Bruins team, wasting a good first period and countless power play opportunities to end up losing convincingly, 5-2 in Boston. The story could look like it came down to special teams, with the Isles going 0-for-5 on the power play while giving up two Bruins power play […]
3 months ago | 3 reads
The Islanders continue what becomes a very busy road trip tonight in Boston, where the Bruins are coming home after being thumped in Ottawa. So the back-to-back, the special opportunity and road trip narratives are all in play. (The Isles have a back-to-back later in the week vs. the Canes and Caps.) First Islanders Goal […]
3 months ago | 2 reads
Mike and Dan discuss an eventful week for the Islanders including wins, a loss, another good rookie, a guy lost for the season, a coach firing and an All Star event canceled. The team righted its ship with two big wins, one eliciting a now-iconic quote from its star rookie. After a rare blow out […]
3 months ago | 2 reads
It’s a strange October: Montreal and Detroit lead the Atlantic, Utah leads the West, and the Rangers are last in the East. Their four-game winning streak stopped via shootout, the Islanders (currently still in the second wild card) are now preparing for tomorrow night in Boston. That’s before the road trip continues with a tough […]
3 months ago | 2 reads
The Islanders missed a few opportunities to extend a four-game win streak Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia, but they at least came away with a point and Marshall Warren got an NHL debut to remember. The Laurel Hollow native had his mom and sister in the stands — and dad surely watching from a hospital while […]
3 months ago | 3 reads
The Islanders are in Philadelphia for an early start (12:30 EDT) in an early-season Metro battle with the Flyers. One point separates them in the opening month, with both teams probably exceeding (Isles 4-3, Flyers 3-3-1) very modest initial expectations. But the big hook today is the expected NHL debut of hometowner Marshall Warren. First […]
3 months ago | 2 reads
The Islanders extended their win streak to four and rose above .500 by taking advantage of a previously hot team team on a back-to-back that had somehow lost the previous night in Buffalo. Tony DeAngelo got them on the board with the first shot of the game, Emil Heineman notched his first of two goals […]
3 months ago | 2 reads
A fair bushel of Islanders news came out in the day between mid-week games, before the Islanders host the Red Wings tonight. David Rittich gets the start tonight before Ilya Sorokin (more on him later) returns to the net for Saturday afternoon in Philly. First Islanders Goal picks for tonight go here. Islanders News Elsewhere
3 months ago | 2 reads
The Islanders established a three-game win streak and upended their 0-3 start with a 4-3 win over the winless San Jose Sharks Tuesday in Elmont. Mathew Schaefer continued his now six-game points streak to start his career with his first two-point game, a goal and an assist earning him his first first star nod. In […]
3 months ago | 2 reads
The Islanders host the last winless team — uh oh! — tonight as the 0-3-2 Sharks rebuild steamrolls into town. Your absolute dread at being their first victim is pre-baked into tonight’s program. First Islanders Goal picks go here. Islanders News If you haven’t kept up with the travels of Trotz-era former Isles, Nick Leddy […]
3 months ago | 2 reads
Mike and Dan recap the Islanders’ exciting first two wins of the season and the warts that are still very evident in their play so far. For a little while, they were 0-3 and staring down a quickly lost season. But two wins – neither perfect, but gutty and pesky – helped everyone breath easy […]
3 months ago | 2 reads