Good Morning, Islanders Country.
The wait is almost over.
Last night, games were played on North American ice for the first time this season. There are Metropolitan Division standings, and the win and loss columns will fill up even more tonight. When the Isles take the ice at UBS Arena, new head coach Lane Lambert and the team’s more aggressive style will be tested by a Florida Panthers team that recorded a season-high 122 points last season. A tough matchup but an early opportunity to show that the league’s top teams won’t have their way with the Isles as they did a year ago.
Coming up, there’s competition for a winger spot, and an Isles 2022 draft pick is named player of the week. Plus, nothing new, but the models hate the Isles’ playoff chances again, a hype video is about to drop and the reasons behind Clark Gillies relinquishing the “C”.
Let’s dive in.
📰 NEWS: The Islanders were back on the ice on Tuesday, tuning up for their home opener on Thursday night. There were encouraging signs with all injured/banged-up players on the ice and staying out after practice.
◾️ RW Cal Clutterbuck was skating on his own ahead of practice before joining the main group as he deals with soreness that landed him on the IR.
🔙 WORKING HIS WAY BACK: He had big surgery last year, and he's working his way back from that, noted Matt Martin after practice. “Said he's feeling really good now, so it's a day-by-day thing for him, and it's definitely a positive to see him out there.”
◾️ Captain Anders Lee was "unavailable" on Tuesday, according to Lane Lambert, but the head coach expects Lee to be ready for Thursday's opener.
There wasn’t and still isn’t much suspense with the Islanders roster. 22 of the 24 players (including IR) were on the team last season. But Clutterbuck’s IR designation has kicked the can down the road, albeit not far, for making a decision on the last forward spot.
“It’s going to be a competition between two or three players in that position,” Lou Lamoriello said on Monday in reference to Oliver Wahlstrom, Kieffer Bellows, and Nikita Soshnikov.
“I know that me and [Wahlstrom] have always been battling for spots,” Bellows told amNewYork on Tuesday. “[Soshnikov] is a great player, really fast, really skilled…Wally, Sosh, and I have that friendly competitive battle that push us to be better every single game. That won’t just help us but help the team, in the long run, trying to elevate us to the playoffs.”
Of the three, Wahlstrom is the only one that does not need waivers to be sent to Bridgeport (AHL).
🪄 MAGGIO MAGIC: Islanders prospect Matthew Maggio was named the number one star of the week in the Canadien Hockey League. His week for the Windsor Spitfires included a goal where he came off the bench, raced into the zone, and beat the goaltender blocker side for a 2-1 lead. The 19-year-old was selected in the 5th round (142nd overall) of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.
⏭ NEXT UP: The season opens Thursday night at home as the Isles host the Flordia Panthers at UBS Arena. Puck drop is set for 7:30 PM.
📊 STANDINGS: Mika Zibanejad scored twice, including a tiebreaking power-play goal in the third period, and the New York Rangers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-1 on Tuesday night.
📊 MODEL PROGNOSTICATING: Two of the more popular follows for advanced analytics released their predictions for the NHL standings and the Islanders are back where they used to be, not necessarily where they belong.
Neither has the Islanders returning to the playoffs, with Dom Luszczyszyn predicting the Isles would fall short of the 84 points earned in 2021-22. Meanwhile, J Fresh Hockey has the Islanders improving to 90 points, finishing 9th in the conference for the second consecutive year.
The Athletic - Dom Luszczyszyn
JFresh Hockey
😆 HYPE MAN: Video-editing wunderkind Nick Persaud aka @IslesTerritory teased his 2022-23 season hype video that is set to drop on Wednesday.
📚 SOUND SMART: In 2001, Peter Laviolette became the first coach in league history to start his NHL head coaching career with four straight road win behind goaltender Garth Snow as the Islanders defeated the New Jersey Devils 6-4 at Continental Airlines Arena. The Isles would finish the month of October with a 9-0-1-1 record, still the best start in team history.
🗓 THIS DATE IN ISLANDERS HISTORY: On October 11, 1979, Clark Gillies relinquished the captaincy, and Denis Potvin was named the third captain in franchise history. The 25-year-old, coming off a 35-goal, 56-assist season in 1978-79, felt the burden of leadership was negatively affecting his game and dropped the “C” two days before opening night. "It took up more time than I wanted, and, in the back of my mind, I didn't like it,” Gillies said at the time.
"It became too much for me," Gillies explained. "I was conscious of the older guys on the team and it was hard for me to criticize. I didn't like being the middle man between the players and management.”
📺 Nassaumen Hockey Podcast Episode 125: James Nicholas and Jon Zella discuss what has them nervous and excited heading into the season.
🔗 Islanders face tough opening night test in Panthers by Andrew Gross, Newsday “The Panthers had an NHL-high 122 points last season but were swept in the second round by the Lightning. Interim coach Andrew Brunette was replaced by veteran bench boss Paul Maurice, and playmaker Matthew Tkachuk was acquired from the Flames at the cost of top-line wing Jonathan Huberdeau and top-four defenseman MacKenzie Weegar.”
🔗 Islanders winger battle between Kieffer Bellows, Oliver Wahlstrom, Nikita Soshnikov ‘a really good problem’ to have by Joe Pantorno, AMNY “A spot on the right wing of the New York Islanders third line is apparently up for grabs, at least according to general manager Lou Lamoriello.”
And we leave you with this…Chris Creamer of SportsLogos.net discovered that a few teams, including the Islanders, had their mascots take headshots along with the roster ahead of training camp. Sparky hasn’t aged a day since his rookie season.
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.....two questions, Joe - and anyone else: one - that I posed in a reply on FB; has there been a sighting yet of a 50th anniversary POCKET SCHEDULE and two, how serious WAS Romanov's MINOR charging call - to have triggered a $5,000 maximum fine?