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Good Morning, Afternoon, Islanders Country.
Some technical difficulties this morning had us have to start pretty much from scratch, so instead, with your cup of coffee, you can read this one at lunch.
The Islanders needed to string together a few wins at the end of December after a so-so month and have done just that with two of their better efforts of the season -including Tuesday’s 5-1 win over the Penguins that the players felt could have been their best game of the game season. The Isles were dialed in, clicking up and down the lineup, even with new faces and some old ones in new positions.
There’s reason to believe the team will be able to keep it going tonight against the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets, a team that has lost six straight and is 2-10-1 in their last 13 road games, having been outscored 24-9 in that stretch.
Coming up, some players resume skating as Ross Johnston waits his turn. Plus, Igor Shesterkin makes Christmas feel like home for a pair of Islanders, Isaiah George shows his moves and delivering the Isles broadcast in the delivery room.
Let’s dive in.
📰 NEWS: Cory Schneider was the first goaltender to leave the ice at Wednesday’s morning skate. Lane Lambert has yet to reveal his starter for tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets, but Schneider seems to have a chance to go against the 30th overall team in the NHL with just 22 points.
◾️ Semyon Varlamov has joined Cal Clutterbuck and Kyle Palmieri among the injured players who have resumed skating. “It's too early to answer the question about Schneider (possibly getting a start). Varly is on the ice skating, said Lambert. “So I think he's getting closer (to returning).”
◾️ Aatu Räty remains with the team and was seen getting reps on the second unit power play. The Islanders are 0-25 in their last eight games on the power play (42:17 of PP time). Casey Cizikas will play his 700th career game tonight.
◾️ Adam Pelech, Simon Holmstrom, and Oliver Wahlstrom have not resumed skating. Lambert did confirm that Wahlstrom was not removed from Tuesday night’s game due to concussion protocol. No further update was provided.
👨🏻💼 WHERE’S THE BOSS? With the injuries mounting for the Islanders, could it finally be time that Ross “The Boss” Johnston gets back in the lineup? At Wednesday’s morning skate, head coach Lane Lambert said it was ‘circumstantial’ and ‘position specific’ as to why Johnston hasn’t been drawn into the lineup as of yet despite the injuries.
BIG BODY: “He’s physical. He does a good job of getting in on the forecheck, Lambert said about what Johnston brings to the lineup. “We want him to use his big body and go to the net-front and when he’s played he’s done a good job of it.”
In his latest with Newsday, Johnston tells Andrew Gross it’s been tough to be out of the lineup for this long of a stretch while rookies such as Holmstrom and Räty have been given an opportunity.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: “You never want to be out of the lineup, especially for that amount of time, said Johnston. You try to look at the bigger picture. That being said, if I’m in tomorrow, it’s an opportunity to prove yourself again.”
The Islanders found themselves shorthanded again when Wahlstrom exited Tuesday night’s game early in the first period. Lambert is already without plenty of forwards and has a handful of rookies vying for roster spots, so it seems plausible to think that Johnston could slot into the lineup sooner rather than later. Maybe even as soon as tonight against the 30th-ranked Blue Jackets.
🎄‘HOME’ FOR THE HOLIDAYS: Russian-born Islanders Ilya Sorokin and Alexander Romanov are both still relatively new to North America, but for this Christmas, their holiday felt more like home as the two accepted an invite to the house of Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin. “It’s not easy to be a foreigner in a [new] country,” Romanov told The Post. “And it’s really good when you have close friends here. It’s important.”
As Ethan Sears writes, Shesterkin and Sorokin have been friends since childhood, and have played in the same age group for the Russian national team. Shesterkin and Romanov know each other through the Krylya Sovetov Moscow youth team.
⏭ NEXT UP: In their last game of 2022, the Islanders take on the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight at UBS Arena Face-off is 7:30 PM ET
📊 STANDINGS: The Islanders didn’t play last night, but a New Jersey Devils loss and a Pittsburgh Penguins win make things that much tighter in the competitive Metropolitan Division.
🥅 LEAVING A MARK: While Ilya Sorokin’s 51 wins in his first 100 games are fifth most in Isles history, according to Stathead, his 13 career shutouts are the second most by any goalie since 2000 through 100 career games.
🗡 THE TO-KNIGHT SHOW: Islanders prospect Isaiah George got on his horse last night and scored a beauty of a goal for the OHL London Knights. In a 4on4 sequence, George took the puck from the red line, skated it into the Erie Otters zone, crashed the net, and deposited the puck past Erie goaltender Nolan Lalonde to give the Knights some insurance in the second period en route to a 4-2 victory. You gotta see it ⬇️
📚 SOUND SMART: Per Eric Hornick in The Skinny, the Isles are just 7 for 50 at home (14.0%) on the power-play this season but are the NHL's best home penalty killers at 39-44 (88.6%). Not a lot of power-play goals at UBS Arena this season.
The Isles held Sidney Crosby off the board for the 19th time; he is 40-88-128 in the other 60 games he has played against the Isles. The Isles out-attempted Pittsburgh 80-44; the difference of +36 matches their highest since January 17, 2016 (+43 in a shootout loss to Vancouver).
🗓 ISLES REWIND: On Dec. 29, 2018, in their first game against their former captain John Tavares, the new face-of-the-franchise, Mathew Barzal, scored a natural hat trick in the second period as the New York Islanders beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-0 at Scotiabank Arena.
Valtteri Filppula also added a goal for the Isles. Robin Lehner had 36 saves for his second shutout of the year. We all love Johnny," said Barzal, the Calder Trophy winner from the previous season. "He was such a big part of this team."We wanted to beat him, I'm sure he wanted to beat us."
🎧 Eyes on Isles Podcast: Positive Reviews: In this edition of the Eyes on Isles podcast, Joe Buono (@IslesFix) and Andy Francess (@AndyFrancess) are back from break to talk about two impressive Islanders wins. But exactly how much of an indicator are these games for what's to come as the team battles injuries? Plus, Andy talks about his experience on the MSG Networks' Santa 'Brawl' special, early social media miscues, and much more.
🔗 NY Islanders Hudson Fasching proving to be a "real-deal" NHLer, Eyes on Isles: “Fasching has certainly helped light a spark in the Islanders lineup who have now won back-to-back 5-1 games over the Panthers and the Penguins. He's continued to show up and put in the work to remain in the lineup and provide an impact.”
🔗 3 Potential Stadium Series Matchups, Locations For Islanders, by Joshua Linsenberg, NYIHockeyNow: “Here are three potential locations and opponents for the New York Islanders if the NHL decides to include Long Island in an outdoor game in the coming years.”
And we leave you with this… there’s dedication, and then there’s what this couple set up after the birth of their daughter. She has no choice but to be a die-hard. Congrats!
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