Lighthouse Hockey: Try to fixate on something else.
Mike and Dan look back at a week that was great for the Islanders until it wasn’t, and an annoying week ahead. With wins over the Devils and Rangers on either side of the Christmas break, the Islanders gave their fans a great holiday. Whether it was a surprise game-winning goal from Adam Pelech or […]
about 1 month ago | 5 reads
Playing twice in less than 24 hours (great job, schedule makers), the Islanders had far from their best but nearly pulled out a point or two before falling late to the Blue Jackets in Columbus, 4-2. The Isles held a slim 2-1 lead till the final five minutes, when a fortunate deflection canceled several previous […]
about 1 month ago | 2 reads
The Islanders had a lot of developments coming out of the holiday break to shut out the Rangers again. Injury updates and a return, plus more Hogberg presence while Ilya Sorokin recovers. They’re back at it tonight in Columbus for a 5 p.m. start. Quick turnaround, hopefully not a letdown. Leave First Islanders Goal picks […]
about 1 month ago | 6 reads
Well, that was fun (and stressful!) Thanks to an early goal by Anders Lee, the New York Islanders maintained a lead essentially all game, despite some scary moments and frankly pretty sloppy play against the New York Rangers. Of course, holding on to that lead wouldn’t have been possible without incredible play by David Rittich, […]
about 1 month ago | 2 reads
The Islanders and 25 other teams across the NHL return to action today and tonight (6 p.m. start for the Isles) as the league emerges from the holiday break, welcomed by a blanket of snow. It wouldn’t be the holidays without at least one visit from your awkward, overbearing relatives with an inflated sense of […]
about 1 month ago | 1 read
Joined by friend Matt Strauss, we remember two modern Weird Islanders who felt like they were around more than they actually were; Parker Wotherspoon because of his many years in the AHL and Dmytro Timashov because of how he came to the Islanders. Parker Wotherspoon is not an exciting player. As a defensive defenseman, his […]
about 1 month ago | 1 read
The Islanders and Devils entered the Christmas break with a tight, cagey match that Adam Pelech tipped in the Isles’ favor with a tiebreaking goal with 1:15 left in regulation. There were no penalties as the refs put their whistles away, which may have favored the Islanders at the pivotal moment: on another night, you […]
about 1 month ago | 5 reads
David Rittich will get the start as the Islanders host the Devils tonight, but it’s still worth noting a little headline they dropped yesterday: Marcus Hogberg has been recalled from Bridgeport so Ilya Sorokin can get extra rest with the coming winter break and a “small nagging issue.” Rest up and heal, Ilya, we’re gonna […]
about 1 month ago | 1 read
Mike and Dan lament the Islanders three loses last week and how poorly they looked through most of them, before discussing a recent article about growing the team’s fanbase. Losing three games because one of your best players is hurt is one thing. Looking like you forgot how to play hockey is something entirely different. […]
about 1 month ago | 3 reads
The Islanders have one more game before the brief Christmas break, Tuesday at home to the Devils. After the Dec. 24-26 break, the schedule gets heavy again with three games in four nights leading into the new year. The Devils will have Jack Hughes, who returned from injury last night. For now, the Islanders are […]
about 1 month ago | 4 reads
Well, despite a sluggish start to the game (or really, sluggish first two periods), the New York Islanders were able to claw their way back into the game, earning a much needed point on the road after a tough game against Vancouver yesterday. Mat Barzal picked up his 10th of the season late in the […]
about 2 months ago | 3 reads
With a second consecutive regulation loss last night, the Isles have now dropped back into the wild card positions, though their 41 points would be good enough for first in the Atlantic and has them still in the large Metro pack that is several points behind Metro leader Carolina. Bo Horvat is still out, and […]
about 2 months ago | 4 reads
The Islanders’ five-game home win streak ended with a very forgettable performance against the Vancouver Canucks, who swept their visit to the metro area and moved to a perfect 3-0 in the post-Quinn Hughes era. After the Isles finally got on the board with Ilya Sorokin pulled with over five minutes to go, Kiefer Sherwood […]
about 2 months ago | 4 reads
The Vancouver Canucks, who signed J.T. Miller long term, leading to trading Bo Horvat here, leading to some weird intra-room soap opera between Miller and Elias Pettersson in their wake, leading to the team descending and Quinn Hughes seeking other pastures…they now visit Long Island with the remnants of those decisions and a chance to […]
about 2 months ago | 2 reads
It’s been a weird week, having two separate two-day gaps between games. We’ll make up for it this weekend with the back-to-back against the last-place Canucks (West edition) and the last-place Sabres (East edition). Don’t Avery this up, Isles. Islanders News Elsewhere Five NHL games last night, including the Red Wings falling to Utah and […]
about 2 months ago | 3 reads
The Islanders suffered a regulation loss in Detroit last night through some untimely penalties and failure to stop Alex freaking DeBrincat on the ensuing power plays. They had a 1-0 lead entering the third, got the equalizer (from Scott Mayfield!?) after falling behind 2-1, but Mayfield took a late penalty and the Wings cashed in […]
about 2 months ago | 3 reads
After two games against Detroit where the Isles piled on the goals, the Red Wings got their revenge in a tight matchup. Some ill-timed penalties helped the Red Wings get back in the game after an early Islanders goal in the first period. The Isles struggled overall tonight, and if not for Ilya Sorokin continuing […]
about 2 months ago | 4 reads
The Islanders are in Detroit for a one-off trip before coming back to New York for a back-to-back. With a rare off day during a semi-breather in their schedule, there was no practice on Monday, but today’s morning skate revealed one lineup concern: Mat Barzal is a game-time decision. The Red Wings (18-12-3, 39) are […]
about 2 months ago | 3 reads
Mike and Dan recap the Islanders’ week of winning shootouts (!) and the big trades that went down in the NHL before the weekend. When was the last time the Islanders won two shootouts in the same week? With the same guy scoring both game-winners? Feels like never. We talk about the wins (and blown […]
about 2 months ago | 4 reads
It was fun while it lasted, that moment atop the East (by points) on Saturday afternoon before the Hurricanes swept their weekend back-to-back with the Flyers, who also earned points in each by making it to overtime. With a couple of more games played than several peers, Isles have just one game over a five-game […]
about 2 months ago | 3 reads
The Islanders found themselves momentarily in first place in the Eastern Conference by total points (if not pts. percentage) on Dec. 13, 2025, after sweeping the Tampa Bay Lightning with the third win over the previous first-holders in the past couple of weeks. Like the previous two games with the Lightning, it was close, nerve-wracking […]
about 2 months ago | 5 reads
The Islanders franchise finally gives Pat LaFontaine his due this afternoon (3:3o start) with induction into their Hall of Fame if not a number retirement — never mind your Sims, Ladds and Berubes who’ve worn #16 since — and they face the Lightning for the third time in two weeks. But across the NHL, league […]
about 2 months ago | 1 read
We welcome back our friend Joe Buono of IslesFix to rediscover Mathieu Schneider, an excellent defenseman who made a big impact on the Islanders in a surprisingly short period of time. The “other” piece of the disastrous Kirk Muller trade, Schneider was a born-and-bred New Yorker and the rare player who actually looked forward to […]
about 2 months ago | 3 reads
The Islanders kept rolling and kept pace in the East with a 5-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks, buoyed by a 3-0 first period including two Anders Lee power play goals that sent him ahead of Brock Nelson in the all-time franchise rankings. The win was tempered by the sight of Bo Horvat going down, […]
about 2 months ago | 4 reads
They’re not your father’s Ducks! Or at least not your older brother’s Ducks, or something. Tonight the Islanders host a Fairly Strong Ducks of Anaheim team that is first in its division at a very respectable 19-10-1. After years of “very tough negotiator” Pat Verbeek at the helm, it seems he just needed to hire […]
about 2 months ago | 3 reads