Lighthouse Hockey: Try to fixate on something else.
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 — […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]