Good Morning, Islanders Country.
There’s no reason to call any game in October a ‘must-win.’
That’s silly.
But there are games that, let’s say, are in the best interest of the teams to win. That’s what the Islanders have in front of them, with the San Jose Sharks (0-4-0) visiting UBS Arena. After tonight, the Isles host the defensively challenged New Jersey Devils on Thursday, but then start a stretch against very good opponents (@Lightning, @Panthers, vs. Rangers, @ Hurricanes, vs. Avalanche).
It would behoove the Isles to bank some points against the next two opponents before facing an early season gauntlet of Stanley Cup contenders.
Coming up, Noah Dobson is off to a fast start, can it end in a 60-point season? Plus, the third-jersey schedule (not the Fisherman) one drops, a bright spot during the 2010-11 season and Oliver Wahlstrom in neon lights.
Let’s dive in.
📰 NEWS: The Islanders were back at practice on Monday, getting ready for their home game against the Sharks on Tuesday night. San Jose (0-4-0), coached by former New York Rangers head coach David Quinn, is still looking for their first win, having been outscored 14 to 6.
◾️ There was no confirmation on Monday as to whether Semyon Varlamov would get his first start of the season after Ilya Sorokin has sparkled in the first two.
🦈 HUNGRY SHARK: “They’re a hard working team, said Matt Martin. “They’ve got some big bodies, got some good players. We know they’re off to a rough start obviously so they’ll be hungry to get a win.”
◾️ Sebastian Aho (IR, upper-body) was a full participant at practice. As of right now, he's day to day,” head coach Lane Lambert said. Another roster move is looming once Aho comes off IR now that Cal Clutterbuck is back in the lineup.
Noah Dobson on D scoring:
"You look around the league and the top teams all get contributions from the back end night in and night out. We just want to continue that way and it’s definitely important for us to help."
◾️For more on Dobson, read Joe Pantorno’s column in AMNY about how the 22-year-old can flourish even more in Lane Lambert’s system and potential reach the 60-point mark.
Oliver Wahlstrom on playing with Josh Bailey:
"To be able to play with Bailey is special. I mean, he's an unbelievable guy. And I just ask him questions...how to get to the net and play a good offensive game because he's always looking. So I just gotta get open."
Anthony Beauvillier on generating opportunities:
"We have the chances. As long as you have chances, that means you’re doing good things offensively. We just want to keep that going."
📅 WHAT TO WEAR: As we wait with bated breath for the reveal of the Isles retro jersey, the team announced the schedule for the more traditional third jersey. They’ll be wearing them for eight games during the season starting tonight.
⏭ NEXT UP: The Islanders are back on the ice tonight against the winless San Jose Sharks at UBS Arena. Puck drop is set for 7:30 PM.
📊 STANDINGS:
🏒 EARLYDOMINANCE: It’s early, very early, and certainly stats are skewed after a lopsided 7-1 win, but nevertheless, let’s enjoy the Islanders time in the “two-way dominance” quadrant for as long as we possibly can.
📚 SOUND SMART: Per Eric Hornick in The Skinny, when a scoring change on Saturday gave Noah Dobson the Isles' second goal it meant that the first three goals of the season were all scored by defensemen, matching the NHL record set by the New York Rangers in October 1984, and equaled by the LA Kings in October 1992 and the San Jose Sharks in October 1999.
🗓 THIS DATE IN ISLANDERS HISTORY: On October 18, 2010, John Tavares scored a power-play goal at 3:26 of overtime to lift the New York Islanders past the Maple Leafs 2-1 in Toronto. "I just put my head down and tried to shoot it as hard as I could," Tavares said. "I wasn't even sure it went in ... It was a great feeling."Matt Moulson scored at 2:17 of the second period for a 1-0 lead. Dwayne Roloson made 29 saves. The win moved the Isles to 3-1-2 in the early season, but after winning their next game, they would go 14 straight without a win.
📺 Nassaumen Hockey Podcast: The Kids are Alright on Long Island - James and Jon dive into the first week of New York Islanders hockey for the 2022-23 NHL season.
🔗 Takeaways From Elmont-UBS Arena LIRR Train Travel by Colby Guy, NYIHockeyNow “At the end of the day, as long as you can get your way on the train, everyone there will make sure you are able to get off at your correct stop. The crowd also gets a bit smaller after the first few stops, so that helps. As long as you can deal with the tight squeeze and talk some hockey with the good people of Long Island, you are all set to attend New York Islanders games this way.”
🔗 Islanders hoping power play, penalty kill can be special by Andrew Gross, Newsday “The Islanders' special teams have gotten off to a decent start as they split the first two games of their season-opening, four-game homestand. Their penalty kill is 9-for-9, including successfully defending a Ducks 5-on-3 advantage in Saturday night’s 7-1 rout, while the power play is 1-for-7 with Dobson scoring the lone goal in Thursday night’s 3-1 loss to the Panthers.”
And we leave you with this…Graphic designer Joe DeLessio (@AthleteLogos) generated attention during baseball season this year when after each Mets win, he would create Shea Stadium inspired neon figures designed after a moment in the game.
Now he’s branching off to other sports and made his first Islanders design following Oliver Wahlstrom’s celebration after his breakaway goal on Saturday night.
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.....was really, REALLY hoping we'd seen the LAST of that DAMNED third - just NOT inspiring, at ALL (and I truly HATE the LOGO) - submitted to management a MUCH-improved (yes, unsolicited) ORANGE alternate last spring which would've subtly paid tribute to the 'Dynasty Blues' striping design that I didn't ever like, either (orange stripe needed to stand alone - and be a LOT brighter.....)