Good Morning, Islanders Country.
I was in Nassau for the last 5 days. Not Nassau County, but Nassau, the Capital of the Bahamas. I woke up when I wanted and when I did, the sun was shining. I walked outside and made my way to the pool.
Yesterday, I woke up to an alarm and when I did, snow was falling. I walked outside and brought the garbage cans out. I was back to reality.
After the All-Star break, it’s back to reality for the Islanders. They are in sixth place in the Metro, a game under .500 after being shut out by the expansion Seattle Kraken last Wednesday, and are 17 points out the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Moreover, they are embarking on a tough stretch in their schedule to start a loaded second half, one that sends them on their delayed Western Canada road trip after playing 10 of 11 games at home at UBS Arena and failing to make up ground.
Coming up, there’s plenty to watch (for now) in the second half and why the Isles waived a player they like. Plus, Adam Pelech’s ascension to All-Star, Adrian Aucoin could also shoot hard and a look back at when the Nassau Coliseum hosted the 1983 All-Star Game.
Let’s dive in.
📰 NEWS: The All-Star Game was this past weekend and the Islanders aren’t even at the halfway point of their season. There are 43 games left to play in their condensed and revised second-half schedule starting tomorrow night in Vancouver against the Canucks.
This second half can go a lot of ways and there’s plenty of intrigue left. In The Athletic, Kevin Kurz writes about Five storylines to watch including What’s going on with Trotz and Wahlstrom? The social media cry to ‘play the kids’ will grow even louder depending if the Islanders fall further in the standings.
Over at Newsday, Neil Best writes that Lou Lamoriello will need to use the second half to assess “ whether the window is closing on a team loaded with key players on the wrong side of 30 or whether with a few well-placed tweaks it can get back to normal in a normal season come 2022-23.”
There is the very real possibility the Islanders find their game, play exceeding well, and still fall short of a playoff spot. Then again, perhaps they fall out of contention in the next two weeks and are clearly sellers at the March deadline. There’s also the chance they hang around so much so that they stand pat. Wednesday night will be the latest indicator as to which outcome increasingly becomes most likely.
♻️ ROSTER MOVES: On Monday, the recently returned Kyle Palmieri was placed on the Covid Non-Roster list while forward Austin Czarnik was put on waivers. The open roster spot could signal the quick return of Robin Salo to provide defensive depth on the road trip. Without the taxi squad, there was simply no room for Czarnik to remain on the 23-man roster once healthy enough to come off of IR. If he clears waivers and goes unclaimed, the center will be sent to Bridgeport to play with the AHL Islanders.
Losing Czarnik would be unfortunate. The 29-year-old has five points in 11 games this season in limited appearances and has been noticeable in a good way, having received praise from Barry Trotz and the coaching staff.
"We knew that he was a reliable player," said associate coach Lane Lambert, said back in January. "He’s got quickness. He’s got speed. But I think the biggest thing about him and the biggest reason that he’s having success is because he’s trustworthy. If you watch him in the defensive zone, he’s in the right positions and doing the right things. And he’s added a little bit of an element of speed and a touch of grit as well.
"He’s a guy that has the ability to play in the National Hockey League."
⏭ NEXT UP: The Islanders are practicing in Vancouver today before their season resumes on Wednesday night against the Canucks. The four-game road trip then continues with a back-to-back with the Oilers and Flames on Friday/Saturday.
📊 STANDINGS:
⏫ THE ASCENSION: From the protected list to his own posse, it’s been somewhat of a meteoric ride for Adam Pelech culminating in being named a 2022 NHL All-Star. In a fantastic long-read by Cory Wright for NewYorkIslanders.com, he goes back to Pelech’s youth days and chats with former coaches and teammates about the person and player they long knew had the talent and make up to reach new heights.
For Islanders’ fans, his defensive prowess has long been established, but for the rest of the NHL fanbase, this weekend provided a showcase for his less-utilized skill set.
"He's a guy that's really come onto the radar the last couple of years," Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos said. "He surprised me with just his ability not just to defend, but he makes some really good plays out there too."
There was the sauce of a backhand to Jack Hughes…
…the blistering 102.2 mph shot (good enough to win some years)…
…the nifty effortless back-hander to beat Jack Campbell in the save streak challenge…
…and his Metro team won, with Pelech on the ice, back in his element defending a 5-3 lead while playing down a man later in the game. "He's our best defensive player," Claude Giroux, the All-Star Game MVP, said. "That's what he does, he shuts down guys. We needed him out there."
📚 SOUND SMART: 18 years ago, Adam Pelech’s mark in the hardest shot would’ve given him the title - or a least a share of it. Back in 2004, defenseman Adrian Aucoin shared a victory in the hardest shot competition with Sheldon Souray of the Montreal Canadiens with a 102.2 mph blast and scored the first goal of the game in a 6–4 win over the Western Conference.
🗓 ISLE REMEMBER: On February 6, 1987, Mike Bossy became the first player in NHL history to score 30 or more goals in each of his first 10 seasons. Remarkable right? What’s more remarkable is that his 10th and final season was the only year he did not score at least 50 goals! Bossy appeared in 63 games in 1986-87, his final season, and finished with 38 goals, tied with Pat LaFontaine for most on the team.
🎧 Hockey Press Pass: A Conversation with Justin Bourne with Chris Botta: “In an episode dedicated to the memory of beloved Hockey Hall of Fame forward Clark Gillies, Justin Bourne joins Hockey Press Pass to talk about making the transition from Division I and AHL/ECHL player to analyst. Along the way, he recalls his participation in an Islanders training camp, discusses his views on the Maple Leafs, NYI, and John Tavares, and reminisces about how Bob Bourne Hall of Fame Night at Nassau Coliseum led to Justin reconnecting with his future wife, the former Brianna Gillies. This interview was recorded ten days before the passing of Clark Gillies, Justin’s father-in-law.”
🔗 Why Islanders waived forward Austin Czarnik by Michel Anderson, Eyes on Isles “So why did the Islanders waive a guy who had two goals and five points in eleven games this season? Why send a guy to the AHL that seemed to be playing well in a depth role for the Islanders?”
And we leave you with this…it’s safe to assume that UBS Arena will one day host an NHL All-Star game. The one previous time the Islanders hosted was in 1983. The Isles were well-represented, with four players: Mike Bossy, Bryan Trottier, Dave Langevin, and Denis Potvin participating in the game and Head Coach Al Arbour behind the bench.
You can watch the intros of the Wales Conference below and check out Stan Fischler’s Maven Memories of the mid-season showcase, including a weekend event that was emceed by Billy Crystal HERE
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