Good Morning Islanders Country,
Feeling better? Yes? Anders Lee is too (more on that in a bit).
The New York Islanders are in Columbus tonight to take on the Blue Jackets, game four of their 13-game road trip. Barry Trotz and co. are hoping to ride the wave of momentum after Tuesday’s win, facing off against their division rival for the first time since December 23, 2019.
The sky has stopped falling (for now) after the Islanders finally collected their first two points of the season on Tuesday thanks to Oliver Wahlstrom and Ilya Sorokin. Now, the Isles face a feisty Jackets team, so let’s get you caught up with the latest news and updates before tonight’s game.
📰 NEWS: Wednesday’s morning skate left a couple of question marks for both the Islanders and the Blue Jackets regarding each of their lineups. There are a few situations to monitor throughout the day before puck drop at 7 PM tonight, which we will talk about shortly.
🐞 STOMACH BUG: There was a simultaneous groan on Twitter Tuesday night when Andrew Gross alerted us all that Anders Lee was a last-minute scratch against the Blackhawks, and Kieffer Bellows was taking his place. Luckily, it wasn’t what everyone had feared.
Lee’s knee is fine, and he was scratched with a non-COVID-related illness. In fact, it was just a stomach issue. “Lee was honest with staff and said he didn’t have much to give, the way he was feeling,” claimed Trotz. Trotz also said Anders Lee is “probable” for tonight.
🤔 EXTRAS? The Islanders held an optional skate Tuesday morning and the low attendance, as well as the attendees themselves, raised some eyebrows. Ross Johnston, Noah Dobson, and Sebastian Aho, along with goalies Semyon Varlamov (still on injured reserve) and Cory Schneider were the only players that participated in the optional skate.
WHO DRESSES? The biggest question mark comes with Dobson, as it would appear he opted to skate with the likely candidates to be scratched in tonight's game. The question is if it’s not Dobson, who dresses tonight? The only other option is Aho. There hasn’t been a recall of any sort, so it’s something to monitor as the day progresses.
😰 BURNT OUT? The Blue Jackets’ number one defenseman, Zach Werenski, did not practice with Columbus yesterday. Aaron Portzline reported that Werenski is “fine,” and just needed an off day after skating for 27 minutes against the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday. Jeff Svoboda also added that Werenski was checked on by the medical staff during Tuesday’s game and it could have just been a maintenance day. However, Mark Scheig reported that the Jackets have called up Gabriel Carlsson from the Cleveland Monsters and it could be a “just in case” recall. So, we have something else to monitor before tonight’s game.
🧑🏫 SOUND SMART: On Monday, former Islander forward Derick Brassard became the 11th player in history to score on nine different NHL teams. A current member of the Philadelphia Flyers, Brassard has suited up for the New York Rangers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Ottawa Senators, Pittsburgh Penguins, Florida Panthers, Colorado Avalanche, Arizona Coyotes, and of course the Islanders.
⏩ NEXT UP:
⏭ NEXT, NEXT, NEXT UP: The Islanders don’t play the Winnipeg Jets for another couple of weeks, but it appears as though there could be trouble within the Jets locker room. Frank Seravalli reports he is “hearing (Jets) are bracing for more positive COVID-19 tests within locker room” and the “team is waiting on additional lab-based results overnight that will provide a clearer picture tomorrow exactly what they're facing.” Depending on how bad the situation becomes, the Islanders 13-game road trip could easily be cut down to a 12-game road trip.
📊 STANDINGS: The Flyers were the only Metropolitan Divison team in action on Tuesday, defeating the Boston Bruins 6-3 in Philadelphia.
📚 ISLE REMEMBER: 20 years ago yesterday, the Islanders retired Bryan Trottier’s number 19. Trottier played 15 seasons on the Island from 1975-90, where he amassed a franchise-best 1353 points (500G, 853A) in 1123 games. ‘Trots’ won four-straight Stanley Cups with the Islanders from 1980-83. The two-way center was drafted by the Islanders in the Second Round (22nd overall) in the 1974 NHL Amateur Draft.
🦬 3-0(KPOSO): The Buffalo Sabres are off to a hot start and former Islander Kyle Okposo has been a key contribution to their early success. You just have to be happy for Kyle as he’s battled and overcome some adversity since leaving the Islanders.
👱♀️ HOCKEY ANXIETY: Jillian Fisher is at it again with her hilarious skits of NHL fanbases. Skip ahead to 1:28 for her hilarious Islanders skit.
🐶 MONTE: Meet Monte! Monte is the newest set of paws to the Islanders staff and will be training to become a guide dog, like Radar and Tori before him, for someone who is blind or visually impaired.
🔗 Thrillya Sorokin Returns: Islanders Netminder Leads New York to First Win of Season, by Christian Arnold, NYIHockeyNow: “I thought he was our best player in the first period until we started to get our legs under us a little,” Islanders head coach Barry Trotz said. “Really felt bad for him, I wanted him to get the shutout. He deserved the shutout, but we failed in the last few seconds. He played really solid, made the saves he needed to make, made some that were timely, and that shorthanded one was huge.”
🔗 Oliver Wahlstrom, Islanders keeping it simple during young sniper’s hot start, by Joe Pantorno, amNewYork: “But the young winger not only continues to prove that a disappointing training camp was just a fluke but he also can be the offensive threat the organization perceived him to be while sticking to the team’s defense-first system.”
🔗 NHL 2021-22 Stanley Cup playoff chances and projected standings, by Dom Luszczyszyn, The Athletic: Despite a slow start to their 2021-22 season, Dom’s model still projects the Islanders to win the Metropolitan Division and be near the top of the overall standings.
🔗 Re-drafting the NHL class of 2019: Would Jack Hughes still be the No. 1 pick?, by Cory Pronman, The Athletic: The only two Islanders picks that made the list come in Pronman’s lowest tier. These players are described as later-round picks that COULD play in the NHL.
🔗 How Ilya Sorokin bounced back, new D pairings and 3 more takeaways from the Islanders’ first win of 2021-22, by Arthur Staple, The Athletic: “Message received on Tuesday. Sorokin looked confident from the outset against the Hawks, and he needed to be. The Islanders were turning pucks over at an alarming rate, especially trying to exit their zone, which led to more than a few quick chances against the run of play inside the Isles end.”
🎧 ICYMI: Nassaumen Hockey Podcast - BONUS EPISODE: New York Islanders vs Chicago Blackhawks Postgame Recap available on Apple podcast, Spotify, and anywhere else you find your podcasts!
And ….we leave you with this, we are one month away from the home opener! To hold you over, check out this excellent video of the Islanders banners being installed in the rafters at the Islanders new home, UBS Arena:
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