Good Morning, Islanders Country.
Instant attraction is a feeling of connection to someone that can happen immediately and can lead to a bond, friendship, or kinship. The hockey version of it was on display last night.
Fans can talk endlessly (and did) about how special the Islanders’ top line could be with the inclusion of Anthony Duclair, but you don’t know until you see it for real. Before Tuesday night’s preseason game, Mathew Barzal said, "We'll try to get some chemistry going.”
Mission Accomplished. Instantly.
If expectations were high for what Barzal and Bo Horvat could do when playing alongside Duclair, they might have just gone higher after a tantalizing performance against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
“He's a bigger guy than I thought, he was good with winning battles and getting in the corners. He’s not afraid to hang onto it down there. I think that's going to be the key for our line, just turning pucks over and transition game.” - Mathew Barzal on Anthony Duclair
Duclair and Barzal connected for a neat give-and-go, and then the line struck again and again as the Islanders built a 3-0 lead. Duclair spoke about creating “magic” with Barzal, who he called a superstar. Their first set of tricks was on display on Tuesday, and more than likely, there’s more up their sleeves.
Oh, and the Islanders blew a three-goal lead late in the third period, but it’s the pre-season, so we will dismiss it as a harbinger of things to come!
Let’s dive in.
📰 NEWS: The Islanders surrender six, yes, SIX third-period goals, including four in the final 2:12, to blow a 4-1 lead to the New York Rangers and lose 6-4 at Madison Square Garden. “We need to be better at 5-on-6, but we haven't touched it, you know?” explained Patrick Roy after the game. “I mean, we're going to practice that, and we will fix that.”
2020 seventh-round draft pick Henrik Tikkanen allowed five goals on 12 shots after Semyon Varlamov stopped all ten shots he faced, playing half of the game.
And yes, it’s only pre-season, but Islanders fans are sensitive to blown third-period leads after how the first half of the year transpired. Barzal called it “unacceptable,” which deflects from the young goaltender’s rough performance, but it’s also true. You could better protect that lead with an empty net than the Isles did on Tuesday. We’ll see if Tikkanen’s struggles at the end of the third period translate to “bag skates” for the rest of his teammates later today (though that may be happening anyway).
GameScore Impact Card
D Grant Hutton had a strong game by any measure, including a goal that made it 2-0, and Liam Foudy, the speedy winger and former Columbus first-rounder, had a stand-out game as he makes his case for NHL consideration to start the season as the 13th forward. Foudy had a five SOG, tied for most with Barzal.
Comeback (for) Kid
For The Athletic, Chris Johnston wrote about former Islander Nikolay Kulemin and his unlikely NHL comeback attempt after six seasons in the KHL.
The 38-year-old is doing it for all the right reasons. His son, Aleks, is an aspiring hockey player with the potential to be drafted by the OHL next season. The elder Kulemin, who spent four seasons on Long Island, prefers that his son develop his game in Canada rather than Russia. “It’s a good level of hockey,” Kulemin told The Athletic. “It’s a fast game here, it’s a little different than Russia.”
While in North America, he might try to make an NHL team. Kulemin signed a PTO with the Ottawa Senators. It’s a long shot, but Kulemin was remarkably consistent in the KHL and is a no-frills player that gives you intense effort night in and night out. “Kind of surprised,” former teammate and fellow Russian hipster Mikhail Grabovski told The Athletic this week. “But then I looked at his legs and I said, ‘Oh, probably he can do it still.’ He’s a machine.”
⏭ NEXT UP: The Islanders will get another training camp practice on Wednesday ahead of back-to-back games on Thursday versus the Philadelphia Flyers and Friday at home against the New Jersey Devils.
Celebrated in Style
Islanders Hall-of-Famer Kenny Jönsson was honored by a massive tifo (visual display of any choreographed flag) before a Swedish Hockey League (SHL) game.
We recommend you watch (and listen) to the video.
📚 SOUND SMART: Wearing the “A,” Matt Martin finished with a team-high five hits, and Horvat wore the other “A.” Defenseman Scott Mayfield played 16:34 TOI in his second pre-season game as he returns from last year’s season-ending injury. Mayfield even dropped the gloves with Ryan Lindgren in the first period after a big (but clean) hit on Filip Chytil.
🎥 ISLES REWIND: On September 25, 1987, Denis Potvin stepped down as the New York Islanders captain and announced that the 1987-88 season would be his last in the National Hockey League. Potvin was 33, a month shy of his 34th birthday when he declared his 15th season on Long Island would be his last.
“I had a strange feeling from within that I had done everything I could do here. I didn’t want to play one season too many,” said Potvin. “Looking back later, he had no regrets. “I was blessed with the talent to play in the league for fifteen years and had the opportunity to say, ‘I’ve had enough.’”
🎧 Double Chili Podcast w/ Peter Schwartz: “Long Island natives Marshall Warren and Keith Kinkaid join "The Double Chili Islanders Podcast" with Peter Schwartz. Warren is a defenseman from Laurel Hollow and is expected to start the season at Bridgeport. Kinkaid, a veteran NHL goalie who has played for multiple teams, including the Devils and Rangers, is from Farmingville and is in camp on a PTO”
🔗 Islanders Mathew Barzal Ready To Play A Game With Newest Linemate Anthony Duclair: 'We'll Try To Get Some Chemistry Going' by Stefen Rosner, The Hockey News “After not playing in the New York Islanders' 4-2 preseason win over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday, there are reasons to believe that the new top line will be in action on Tuesday night against the New York Rangers.”
And we leave you with this…Brendan Burke is thinking, ‘Is it November yet?’
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