Good Morning, Islanders Country.
As we wrote on Monday, it’s hard to trust the Islanders’ recent momentum can be sustained because of who they have and haven’t beat. As covered by Ethan Sears in the New York Post, they are 5-2 since their season was re-started (for a second time) but those wins have come against the New Jersey Devils, Arizona Coyotes, and losers of 13 in a row Philadelphia Flyers.
The Islanders are 2-10-3 against playoff competition this season with one of them coming against a COVID-depleted Boston Bruins team. And while two of their remaining four games before the All-Star break are against the Seattle Kraken and Ottawa Senators, they can also start to dispel the notion they can’t beat playoff teams, starting tonight when they host the L.A. Kings and their 21-16-6 record at UBS Arena.
A win would go a long way in making that momentum feel for real.
Coming up, ‘Varly’ is drawing interest and the reverse retro jerseys are coming back. Will the Islanders dare to get adventurous this time around? Plus, the latest playoff odds, 40 years ago the Isles scored four goals really fast, and Clark Gillies photos through the years.
Let’s dive in.
🪟 WINDOW SHOPPING: According to Elliot Friedman’s latest 32 Thoughts Blog, the Edmonton Oilers are on the hunt for a goaltender. They’ve checked into a number of them, including the Islanders Semyon Varlamov.
"If Philadelphia had been willing to take a late-round pick for Martin Jones, it’s possible he would already be an Edmonton Oiler. But the Flyers wanted something better and felt the market will strengthen as we get closer to the deadline. Name a goalie -- Alexander Georgiev, Braden Holtby, Ville Husso, Anton Khudobin, Joonas Korpisalo, Vitek Vanecek, Semyon Varlamov -- they looked at it."
Varlamov still has a year left on his contract after this season, so if Edmonton is serious, it’d likely cost a lot from Ken Holland. However, there are still 47 games left to play on a pretty condensed schedule. If the Islanders are to move Varlamov’s contract, it’s not likely until at least after this season.
🔄 REVERSE RETRO RETURN? Per Icethics, the Reverse Retro jerseys are set to return for all 32 NHL teams next season and there are plans for new designs, with some possibly “bending the definition” of the Reverse Retro.
Last time, Lou Lamoriello played it safe with these clean dark blue uniforms:
Although the dark blues grew on the fanbase over time, many can’t help but hold out hope that the fisherman, or at least the wave jersey could return. Here’s a look at what the fisherman could look like in the current NHL:
Another option that seems to be a popular choice amongst fans is the Islanders orange jerseys introduced in 2002:
If the Islanders were to use throw it back to this era, the “Reverse Retro” theme might make these a white jersey with mostly orange accents. It still sounds pretty clean and would make for a new, unique look the Isles have never had before.
⏭ NEXT UP: Streaming exclusively on ESPN+, the Islanders host the L.A. Kings at 7 pm before a weekend back-to-back against the Kraken and Wild at UBS Arena.
📊 STANDINGS: The Isles wake up in 6th place in the Metro and can end the day in 5th depending on the results of their game and the Blue Jackets-Rangers match-up.
🙏🏻 PLAYOFF ODDS: Over at NBCSports.com, James O’Brien asks Can Islanders still make playoffs or are they better off tanking?
When you get past the bluntness of the headline, the article does make cogent and valid points as to what is realistic to occur for the team the rest of the way. Even if they did sell off their desirable assets, would it change where they end up the Eastern Conference standings much? That’s probably unlikely as is the idea that Barry Trotz and Lou Lamoriello would punt on the season when there is a chance, even a slim one to make the post-season.
Despite the recent uptick in play, the playoff prognostications remain bleak:
At the Athletic, Dom Luszczyszyn gave the Islanders about a 10% chance to make the playoffs.
Micah Blake McCurdy’s projection is more optimistic, at 29.6%.
Meanwhile, SportsClubStats’ projection is the most pessimistic I’ve seen, leaving the Islanders with merely a 3.6% chance to make the playoffs.
The Islanders are kinda stuck. They don’t have assets that will back a top prospect, and they’re too good to get a high draft pick. There’s just little incentive to tank.
I guess the best thing to do is just win a lot of hockey games.
📚 SOUND SMART: In the Islanders’ last matchup, a 4-3 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers, defenseman Noah Dobson scored his sixth goal of the season. After Dobson, all Islanders defensemen have scored a combined five goals.
🗓 ISLE REMEMBER: The Islanders set a team record for the fastest four goals on Jan. 26, 1982, as John Tonelli, Bryan Trottier (twice), and Duane Sutter all scored within a span of 1:38 during a 9-2 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
'How does it feel?'' repeated the shell-shocked Pittsburgh goalie Michel Dion. ''You don't feel nothin'. It's like a tornado, it happens so fast.'' The surge did not break the league mark for the fastest five goals at any part of a game. That was set by Pittsburgh in 1972 when they scored five times in the third period vs. St. Louis in a span of 2:07.
🎧 Nassaumen Hockey Podcast Episode 95: Islanders Varlamov Rumors, Zach Parise Success, Reverse Retro's 2.0 & More! James Nichols and Jon Zella take a trip around the rink to start off the show looking into the latest with Jordan Subban and Boko Imama, the Aaron Dell/Drake Batherson incident, and which teams have surprised us at the midway mark of the season. On the Island, Semyon Varlamov's name pops up in a trade rumor, Zach Parise is finally finding the scoresheet, the "Identity line" has returned to form, and Reverse Retro's 2.0. This and more in episode 95, now available!
🔗 What could/should Islanders do with rumored Reverse Retro 2.0, by Michel Anderson, Eyes on Isles: “According to Icethetics, the NHL and its jersey manufacturer Adidas will have another reverse retro campaign. That means the New York Islanders have another chance to get it right with the third jersey campaign.”
🔗 Can Islanders still make playoffs, or are they better off tanking? by James O’Brien, Yahoo Sports: “Sometimes, teams don’t really have a choice; they’re really bad, and thus they “tank” by default. But if the Islanders continue to push for a playoff spot, that would likely mean drawing a lesser draft pick, and it also might keep them from “selling” at the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline.”
🔗 Oilers looking into Islanders Semyon Varlamov means little, by Michel Anderson, Eyes on Isles: “According to Elliotte Friedman, the Edmonton Oilers have checked in on a number of goalies to fix their goaltending woes. One of those goalies was New York Islanders Semyon Varlamov it seems.”
And we leave you with this… the New York Post put out of a collection Clark Gillies photos throughout the years, including this one of Jethro competing in a weightlifting competition on the ABC Sports television special 'Superstars' in 1979.
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