The Islanders tug-of-war with themselves continues as they drop two games to open a seven-game homestand only to follow with two strong wins. Sean and Stefen have your mild, medium, and hot takes while Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers joins to talk Columbus Blue Jackets and their inspiring story.
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Good Morning, Islanders Country.
It's a Quick Fix featuring Joe Buono (@IslesFix) and former VP of Communications for the Islanders, Chris Botta (@ChrisBottaNHL).
Almost every team in the NHL goes on a run at some point.
The good teams, the great teams, and most of the time, even the bad teams. The Islanders have won 5 of 7 but will need a longer, sustained run to climb over the several teams standing between them in a playoff spot with nine games remaining before the February break.
Chris and Joe discuss whether the Isles have a run in them and what that would do to Lou Lamoriello’s thinking in the coming weeks. Plus, grading Patrick Roy after one year and Mathew Barzal’s ‘alleged’ comments about empty seats.
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⏭ NEXT UP: The Islanders continue their homestand against the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday night. Face-off is set for 7:30 PM EST.
📊 STANDINGS:
📚 SOUND SMART: Per Eric Hornick in The Skinny, Marc Gatcomb now has 19 hits in his first three NHL games. He is the first Islander rookie with consecutive games of at least seven hits since Matt Martin (3/6-3/8/2011).
“Just sticking to my identity, playing simple, playing hard and finishing checks,” Gatcomb said in NewYorkIslanders.com. “It creates opportunities and it’s something I take pride in and try to do every night.”
🎥 ISLES REWIND: On Jan. 22, 1997, the same night the “sale” of the team to “businessman” John Spano was announced, the Islanders snapped a four-game home losing streak in an 8-1 route of the Edmonton Oilers at the Nassau Coliseum. Derek King had two goals and an assist, and four players added a goal and an assist apiece. Bryan McCabe, Steve Webb, Derek Armstrong, and Marty McInnis each had a goal and an assist for the Islanders, who won for just the second time in their last 11 games (2-8-1).
🔗 Source: Washington Capitals Have Inquired About New York Islanders Forward Brock Nelson by Stefen Rosner, The Hockey News “According to industry sources, the Washington Capitals have checked in on New York Islanders' pending unrestricted free agent forward, Brock Nelson. While any potential team that acquires Nelson would likely want him to extend, given the cost, the Capitals are believed to have no issue with him being a pure rental.”
🔗 Noah Dobson injury: Islanders D-man out indefinitely with lower-body injury by Joe Panorno, amNY “Dobson suffered the injury when Columbus forward Cole Sillinger cross-checked him up high in the corner of the Islanders’ zone. While falling backward, his leg bent awkwardly, which immediately raised concerns about his long-term availability despite him skating off the ice under his own power.”
And we leave you with this… kids are getting creative with gathering Islanders’ autographs at the Season Ticket Holder Event on Tuesday night.
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