Lighthouse Hockey: Try to fixate on something else.
Anders Lee became Islanders captain at an oh-so-needed time, with unanimous support from players meeting new coach Barry Trotz, the first and very inspirational step of healing after the last captain turned pajamas and ran. The years since that franchise turning point in 2018 have been a success compared to any other stretch in franchise […]
Along with Lighthouse Hockey’s Jenny Berman, we remember Kieffer Bellows, whose moments of fun in with the Islanders were few and far between. Kieffer Bellows had everything you’d want in an NHL prospect: a famous name and family lineage in hockey, high praise from prospect watchers, a tantalizing shot and a history of showing up […]
With two series Thursday night and one of them concluding, there is sadly no playoff hockey Friday nor Sunday either. It really is that time of year. Islanders News Elsewhere
All of us want that elusive fifth Stanley Cup — which for many will be the first in a lifetime — but however the next decade or so goes, it looks like there will be pure joy thanks to Matthew Schaefer. The latest kid who won the Calder has officially won the Calder, after the […]
New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer was surprised by his family — and his adopted family, the Martins — during a Good Morning America TV performance with the Calder Trophy on Wednesday. That the 18-year-old phenom took the prize for the NHL’s best rookie in 2025-26 is no surprise; but the way the news was […]
Colorado has a chance to clinch their spot in the conference final tonight, but the other two remaining series continue to provide good drama. Islanders News Elsewhere
We’re still in the quiet, other-teams-are-competing part of the offseason, but there was one bit of news on an Islanders player who was grinding through some injuries during the final third. Meanwhile, among those still-competing teams, Minnesota has restored possibility in its series with the Avalanche, the Canadiens have taken the lead on Buffalo, and […]
It still feels weird to type “Nelson” and not mean “Brock” — and hey, if Brocktober gets his elusive Stanley Cup this spring, we’ll still have cause to clarify. But the Islanders-centric Nelson news of the day is that Isles prospect Danny Nelson gets the rare opportunity to join established NHLers as part of Team […]
A day after a widely panned press conference to introduce their new GM and figurehead, the Toronto Maple Leafs were handed a gift by the hockey gods/conspiracy forces by winning the draft lottery to get the #1 pick this summer. This was quite the cliffhanger, as had just one lower team won the first or […]
As the NHL’s second round gets off and running, don’t overlook the OHL finals, which will feature a couple of prospects who could be parts of the Islanders’ future. Meanwhile, post-season post-mortems continue in Canada’s top self-loathing hockey capitals. Islanders News NHL Playoffs Monday night in the playoffs, Vegas took Game 1 over the Ducks […]
Mike and Dan go PTI-style across a few Islanders topics before discussing how a recent playoff elimination made them reflect on the past, present and future of the franchise. The last few weeks have seen a couple of departures – of an assistant coach and a third string goalie, respectively – and a couple of […]
Feel relieved, Islanders fans: the Canadiens have eclipsed the 2015 Islanders’ dubious records by recording even fewer shots in a Game 7 than the Islanders did on that terrible night in D.C. Of course the critical difference is that the Canadiens’ 9 shots (compared to the Islanders’ 11 on that frustrating night opposite Barry Trotz’s […]
Before we get to NHL news and notes, a few Islanders links: Enjoy this highlight reel for Vezina finalist Ilya Sorokin. Offseason analysis from Andrew Gross: The management. [Newsday] What was it like to suffer through the ups and mostly downs of being a diehard Whalers fan? A special Weird Islanders episode. [LHH] Elsewhere Depending […]
Aaron Kleinman of Heartland Signal tells us about his enduring love of the Hartford Whalers, his home state’s former NHL team, whose final road game was against the Islanders at Nassau Coliseum. It’s been almost 30 years since the Whalers last took the ice at the Hartford Civic Center, the only rink in NHL history […]
The playoffs are steadily widdling down the number of combatants, with the Penguins the latest to fall. Tonight the Wild-Stars and Ducks-Oilers resume their series, with the home team in each aiming to stave off elimination again. Yesterday’s late-breaking news was expected yet tempered by the Islanders’ late-season swoon: Ilya Sorokin is indeed one of […]
In the NHL playoffs Tuesday night, the two trailing teams won to extend their series, while Minnesota broke the 2-2 tie to pull ahead of Dallas, 3-2. But before that, a bit of Islanders fodder… Islanders News NHL Playoffs Tonight, someone will take a 3-2 lead in the Lightning-Canadiens series, while the Penguins will look […]
Mike and Dan recap some news around the Islanders and their AHL affiliate, question the team’s bizarre partnering with JELL-O and reveal some important announcements. While fans like us are still mad about the Islanders being home during the NHL playoffs, there was some news coming out of the team’s prospect pool. The Bridgeport Islanders […]
The NHL playoffs are just over a week old and two teams are already gone. In both cases, the conference winners knocked off the last seed/second wild card team, with Carolina sweeping the Ottawa Senators and the Colorado Avalanche sweeping the Los Angeles Kings. Neither of those two are surprising, so thankfully the other series […]
Happy Shawn Bates Penalty Shot Day. After last night’s AHL results, there is officially nothing Islanders playoff-related to discuss anymore except the past and perhaps hopes for the future. The end of Bridgeport’s 25-year run as the Islanders’ AHL affiliate came with a frustratingly familiar, quick playoff exit. The Bridgeport Islanders (nee Sound Tigers) were […]
Wednesday night was another fun one in the first round of the NHL playoffs. Thursday Night Meanwhile, Thursday night the Bridgeport Islanders are in Hershey hoping to extend their mini-series after dropping Game 1 at home, 2-0. And in the NHL, there are three games Thursday with the Bruins and Sabres knotted at 1-1, while […]
The first few days of the NHL playoffs have been outstanding, which will only provide Gary Bettman another bullet for his “best first round in sports” talking point he uses when people complain about the current division-focused playoff structure. Thus far, we’ve had a double overtime, several one-goal games that went down to the wire, […]
In a very stream of consciousness episode, Mike and Dan sort through the many thoughts they’ve had since the Islanders season ended a week ago. After their final game (a 2-1 loss to Carolina, of course) and all of the exit meetings, there’s still a lot to process about the 2025-26 Islanders. Matthew Schaefer’s incredible […]
The playoffs kicked off with some good ones over the weekend. The only series yet to begin is Ducks-Oilers, which is the late game among four tonight. No playoff news for the big Islanders, of course, but Bridgeport begins their final playoff on Tuesday. Islanders News The lottery will be held May 5. What are […]
Whenever the Islanders miss the postseason (which is a lot), on one level I’m able to enjoy the spectacle and intensity of the Stanley Cup playoffs in a different way, free of the exhausting emotional investment and baggage that comes with talking yourself into how they might go far while watching them ultimately get eliminated. […]
Joined by Rocco from Isles House, we remember enforcer Trevor Gillies, who was a much more complex individual than his monstrous reputation would suggest. Trevor Gillies had spent a decade in the minors fighting across North America before he finally got regular NHL playing time for a young Islanders team that needed a lot of […]