Lighthouse Hockey: Try to fixate on something else.
The New York Islanders pulled out a late equalizer and 5-4 overtime win in an intense, back-and-forth meeting with the Pittsburgh Penguins that highlighted how we have Ilya Sorokin and they have Replacement Jarry. True, Sorokin allowed at least one goal he would want back, when Bryan Rust banked a shot in off his glove […]
about 4 hours ago | 0 reads
The Islanders did not get the job done in D.C., they did not claim any points vs. the Capitals, so they’ll aim for redemption tonight back home against the Penguins. Helpfully, Pittsburgh lost last night in regulation on a late Claude Giroux goal, so their standings edge above the Isles remains two points, though with […]
about 21 hours ago | 0 reads
Third-string rookie goalie? No problem… for the Capitals. Clay Stevenson played just his second game this year, and while he didn’t get his first career shutout, he turned away 29 of 30 shots by the Islanders. Bo Horvat still looks a bit rusty after missing some time due to injury; he had a lot of […]
1 day ago | 0 reads
Mike and Dan look back at a packed week of trades, wins, a season sweep and one terrible loss that makes an already daunting upcoming week for the Islanders even more scary. For five days last week, Islanders fans were feeling good. Three wins, two over the Rangers in a humiliating season sweep complete with […]
1 day ago | 0 reads
The Islanders enter a pretty significant back-to-back with a match vs. the Capitals tonight in D.C. followed by tomorrow night at home to the Penguins. The Capitals are just four points behind the Isles and can narrow that gap tonight, though they’ve played one more game. The Penguins currently sit two points above the Islanders […]
2 days ago | 1 read
The Islanders lost a frustrating game in regulation to the Nashville Predators, one they didn’t really deserve anything from, though the circumstances were still frustrating. They blew an early 2-0 lead after looking pretty good in the first 10 minutes of the game, then were completely discombobulated the rest of the way, relying on Ilya […]
3 days ago | 0 reads
Ilya Sorokin will start again tonight as the Islanders host Barry’s Predators. After starting what looked like another lost, tankable season, Nashville has rebounded a bit and is in shouting distance of the Western playoff wild card slots. But the odds are still slim and the question persists of whether they should dump assets like […]
4 days ago | 0 reads
The morning after beating the Rangers is always sweet; after completing a season sweep, even more so. And remember, it’s not about how they did it, it’s about how badly the misguided Rangers fans in your life feel. The competition over the next four pre-Olympic games should put up more of a fight, but for […]
5 days ago | 0 reads
The New York Islanders completed their latest season sweep of the crosstown Rangers with a sleepy 2-1 win at Madison Square Garden. The win also represented a sweep of their home-and-home over the last 24 hours, and banked some important points in the run-up to the Olympic break. As has often been the case this […]
5 days ago | 0 reads
The Islanders met a moribund rival and soundly defeated the Rangers, who logged their fewest shots ever in the history of this derby rivalry. That team over there looked to be sleepwalking, outside of a few dangerous chances that the Isles maddeningly conceded. Maybe it was a bit of numbed shock in reaction to Artemi […]
6 days ago | 0 reads
It was a fun one to start the home-and-home as the New York Islanders beat the New York Rangers 5-2 in a game they dominated from the start. While the Islanders added two players in Palat and Soucy leading up to this Olympic break trade freeze, the Rangers have put Artemi Panarin on the trade […]
6 days ago | 1 read
For all of us wondering if Islanders GM Mathieu Darche was going to invest in his currently-playoff-position team or commence with a selloff, the last two days gave us a clear answer. The first-year GM is not going big-game hunting, but he is managing assets (and spending a little cap space) to bring in veteran […]
7 days ago | 2 reads
What on earth is going on in the Metropolitan Division? More narrowly, the metropolitan trio in the Metropolitan Division? For the second time this week, the New York Islanders made a trade with one of their next door neighbors in a move that again appears to aid both parties. The Isles sent winger Max Tsyplakov […]
7 days ago | 1 read
The Islanders rebounded from a blah road trip and a worse return home by shutting out the Flyers — with a goal from each special team! — but the most interesting news of the day was confirmation that they were making a trade…with the {plugs nose} Rangers, of all teams. They acquired pending UFA defenseman […]
8 days ago | 2 reads
There were some lineup swaps tonight with Cal Ritchie (lower body injury) and Simon Holmstrom (illness) out. Max Tsyplakov and Marc Gatcomb drew into the lineup, giving both of them an opportunity to make an impression after a tough game for the Islanders against Buffalo. The Islanders bounced back tonight in Philadelphia, with JG Pageau […]
8 days ago | 1 read
Mother Nature isn’t the only one capable of bringing down a storm. We had so much to discuss that we broke this episode into two parts. In Part 1, Mike and Dan find the Islanders at a low point after an average road trip and a disastrous return game. In three games this week, the […]
9 days ago | 0 reads
The Islanders will try to rediscover their game, or at least their look, with a visit to Philadelphia tonight. The Flyers are just two points back with a game in hand, coming off a potential “statement” victory in Colorado. That third position in the Metro the Isles currently (and tenuously) hold has become more prominent […]
9 days ago | 0 reads
The Islanders returned home and fell to the surging Sabres in what evolved into a 5-0 blowout after a competitive period and a half. Bo Horvat returned to the lineup but was one of 13 Islanders shooters who failed to beat Alex Lyon — indeed, Horvat logged four SOG while Emil Heineman had six — […]
10 days ago | 3 reads
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 […]
11 days ago | 3 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 […]
12 days ago | 3 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 […]
12 days ago | 1 read
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 […]
13 days ago | 2 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 […]
14 days ago | 3 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 […]
15 days ago | 5 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 […]
16 days ago | 0 reads