Good Morning, Islanders Country.
What’s one more day without Islander hockey at this point, right?
Another day, another player tests positive, and another game is postponed. And so it goes for the New York Islanders and the NHL in 2021-22.
Coming up, the team’s leading goal scorer lands on the COVID-19 list, and Barry Trotz sees an opportunity for two players. Plus, Scott Mayfield speaks out on Team USA’s forfeit at the World Juniors and the promotional schedule is released.
Oh, and do you know who took the first face-off in Islanders history? If not, you will.
Let’s dive in.
📰 NEWS: Hours after the Islanders announced Brock Nelson was placed in COVID-19 protocol, the NHL postponed Wednesday’s Red Wings-Islanders game at UBS Arena due to COVID-related issues. This marks the sixth Islanders game to be postponed this season after Nov. 28 at New York (rescheduled for March 17), Nov. 30 at Philadelphia, Dec. 20 vs Montreal, Dec. 23 vs Washington, and Dec. 27 vs Buffalo.
It is unclear whether it was news of Nelson’s status or Detroit’s ongoing COVID situation that led to the postponement. The Red Wings haven’t played since December 18th and have had as many as 11 skaters impacted in recent weeks. Without Nelson, the Islanders would be playing without half of their regular forward group.
“I think I’ll leave that to everybody upstairs and the league,” coach Barry Trotz said when asked if he’d rather play with half his forwards out or postpone the game. “Ideally, I’d like every team to have a full complement of players and we’re playing, there’s no disruption and all that. That’s not reality. That’s fantasy hockey right now.”
📝 ON THE LIST: Earlier in the day, the team announced that their leading goal-scorer and second-line center Brock Nelson became the latest Islander to be placed in COVID-19 protocol this season. Nelson joins Anthony Beauvillier, Oliver Wahlstrom, Cal Clutterbuck, and Zach Parise who were added on Sunday.
Nelson was injured back on November 21st against the Toronto Maple Leafs and missed seven games which further exasperated the team’s troubles during their first COVID outbreak. He scored one goal and added one assist in four games back since returning.
In better news, Matt Martin and defenseman Robin Salo will be activated off the COVID-19 list on Wednesday and be eligible to play Thursday against the Buffalo Sabres.
Meanwhile, Trotz confirmed Kyle Palmieri (lower body) won't be available on Thursday as he hasn’t started practicing with the team. As for Ryan Pulock (LTIR/lower body), his rehab continues. Pulock’s injury occurred on November 15th in Tampa Bay and the recovery time was originally assessed at 4-6 weeks.
👉🏻 TAKE ADVANTAGE: As the Islanders’ roster continues to turnover, there’s bound to be increased ice-time for certain players out of necessity. Barry Trotz called out Kieffer Bellows (four points in his last five games) and Sebastian Aho (two points and a minus-6 rating in 12 games) as two players that have a chance to make the most of the team’s current situation.
MAKING A STATEMENT: “It’s an opportunity to go play and try to help the team string some wins together,” Bellows said during media availability. “That’s my goal. “You just have to go out there and play the system, work for your teammates, and do whatever I can to help the team win.” “It’s about him getting more regular time and really making a statement,” added Trotz.
GREAT OPPORTUNITY: “Every time he gets in it’s a great opportunity,” Trotz said of Aho. “He hasn’t played a lot of games on defense for us the last couple of years because we haven’t had a lot of injuries there.”
⛔️ MORE OF THE SAME: The B-Islanders are dealing with COVID issues of their own. Bridgeport GM Chris Lamoriello announced the team has eight players and one staffer in the protocol, while one player came off their list. Michael Fornabaio of The Connecticut Post reported that Lamoriello declined to discuss which players were at which points, but that the “players’ attitudes have been exceptional" through the whole process.
⏭ NEXT UP: Your guess is as good as ours. As of now, the Islanders are scheduled to host the Buffalo Sabres Thursday night at UBS Arena, but the situation remains fluid. Dave Pagnotta of The Fourth Period tweeted Tuesday night that he’s been told that all Sabres games this week are expected to be played.
📊 STANDINGS:
🇺🇸 FORFEIT: Over at the Men’s U20 World Junior Championships, where they are (or were) playing hockey, Team USA was forced to forfeit its preliminary game against Switzerland due to a "mandated team quarantine" following two positive COVID-19 cases. Per International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) rules, the game is recorded as a 1-0 win for the Swiss. St. Louis native and Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield chimed in with his thoughts on the matter and was an unhappy American.
👩🏫 SOUND SMART: Per NHL PR, San Jose Sharks defenseman Brent Burns (219-521—740) has the most career points among active defensemen and 72 more than the next closest: Zdeno Chara (207-461—668). Burns has played in 431 fewer games than Chara.
🗓 ISLE REMEMBER: Original Islander Dave Hudson turned 72 on Tuesday. Haven’t heard of Dave Hudson? He scored 14 goals and added 29 assists over two seasons on Long Island, but more importantly, took the first face-off in team history against the Atlanta Flames on October 7, 1972 at Nassau Coliseum.
Thanks, as always, to @IslesHistorical for the heads up.
🔗 Islanders punting on this season could pay dividends in the long run, by Kevin Kurz, The Athletic “It’s not entirely out of the realm of possibility that a team that has been among the NHL’s best for a few years now could put together a significant winning streak. But in order to finish with 94 points, which might not even be enough, they’ll need to gather 72 points over their final 56 games. So a record of 33-17-6, for example.”
🔗 New York Islanders 2021 Year In Review, by Leen Amin, Elite Sports New York “The organization and fanbase were naturally disappointed, but 2021 was a monumental year for the Islanders. This was the year that they formally established themselves as one of the best teams in the NHL.”
🔗 Islanders COVID list grows again: Brock Nelson joins a crowded group, by Michel Anderson, Eyes on Isles “It feels like November all over again with seven players out. Sure, two are supposed to exit protocol by the time the Isles play Detroit on Wednesday. According to Barry Trotz and Lou Lamoriello, both Robin Salo and Matt Martin will leave COVID protocol on Wednesday.”
And we leave you with this…The Islanders released their official promotional schedule for the rest of the 2021-22 season with the first giveaway coming on New Year’s Day. This year’s promotional items include hats, limited edition posters, and t-shirts.
The full schedule can be found HERE.
Thanks for reading! Follow us on Twitter for regular updates until the next newsletter.
And please check out our newsletters about the Knicks and Mets, too.