Good Morning, Islanders Country.
No news was good news for the Islanders on Monday. No positive tests or injury update as of yet on Brock Nelson leaves fans in limbo heading into Tuesday’s practice. In addition to the problems on Long Island, the Bridgeport Islanders are also in a bit of a pickle with the NHL team requiring reinforcements this past weekend.
We’ll all be excited for the first rivalry game at UBS Arena against the New York Rangers on Wednesday, but there’s quite a bit to figure out before then. Plus, advanced stats to make you feel a bit better, ESPN crafts a beer tour, and how the team store cashed in.
Let’s dive in.
📰 NEWS:
For the first time in many years, the only thing Islanders fans have to worry and complain about is what’s happening on the ice. Unfortunately, there is a lot to worry and complain about.
Steven E. Smith, writing for Lighthouse Hockey, puts it all in perspective.
The outlook for the New York Islanders Franchise couldn’t be better right now. They just opened a beautiful new building that they can finally call their own.
But the New York Islanders Hockey Team is in trouble.
They have lost six straight games in regulation and eight players to injury or COVID-19 protocol in the last week, including their captain and both halves of their top defense pair. And they may have lost two more players to injury last night. Meanwhile, the rest of the Metro Division and Eastern Conference inexplicably continues to rack up points—the Islanders currently sit seven points out of a playoff spot. You almost hope for a COVID-19-protocol-required shutdown so that they can get themselves together and get healthy.
Steven emphasizes that “There’s still time, Thanksgiving Cutoff be damned!” This is true, but facing four-straight divisional games with a lineup not resembling their best, the outlook could be grimmer when putting up the holiday decorations.
🆘 HELP WANTED: With multiple players on COVID Protocol, the Islanders needed to call on Bridgeport for reinforcements. Problem is, it’s depleted Bridgeport’s roster significantly without much help coming from the Worcester Railers, according to Michael Fornabaio of the Connecticut Post. If New York requires another player or two, even to sit in the press box, it could get interesting in Bridgeport.
🎰 UNLUCKY: It’s easy to get on the Islanders’ losing streak, even before their disastrous inaugural weekend at UBS Arena. However, when we look at the numbers, they seem to be more unlucky than bad. Analytics show the Islanders are actually just not finding the back of the net despite getting good looks. In addition to the stats below, JFreshHockey has the Islanders with a 51% XGF, good for 13th in the league as of November 20th. They say you have to be lucky to be good, but you also have to be good to be lucky. Can the Islanders change their own fortunes as players return to the lineup?
⏭ NEXT UP: The Isles will look to find some momentum against the hated Rangers on Wednesday, before enjoying some holiday cooking on Thursday and welcoming the Penguins to UBS Arena on Friday.
📊 STANDINGS:
🍻 BAR CRAWL: ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski drew a tough assignment Saturday night, watching the game from all 17 of UBS Arena’s official indoor and outdoor bars.
In a fun, informative, and refreshing feature, Greg timestamps his way around UBS Arena, capturing the ambiance, sights, sounds, and Sharpies on his tour.
The whole read is full of nuggets and observations, but one stood out. On his travels, he came across Erin Longo who noticed that John Tavares’ name was listed on a piece of art next to Islanders’ legends. She grabbed a Sharpie, walked over to the wall, and drew a large black X over his name." There," she said, capping the marker. "Now it's fixed."
🍸 WHAT’S IN A NAME? The article also dropped a tidbit about what could and could not be on an eventual Offside Tavern specialty cocktail menu. If you had frequented the bar in Chelsea, you would be familiar with the Lamoriello Sour, Mayfield of Dreams, Cizikas Mule, and the Josh Ho-Tang. We learned today that while the bar is back, the player-themed names won’t be.
He [owner Nick Costa] said there will be specially themed drinks, but not player-specific ones like he had at the old bar, like the instantly memorable "Josh Ho-Tang." At the new Offside Tavern, he has had to contend with a new bar manager: GM Lou Lamoriello, whom Costa said has ruled out player-centric drinks in favor of team-first beverages. (And yes, Lamoriello manages on that micro of a level.)
Costa put out this tweet confirming the report.
Lou is a believer that individual identity and accolades must be sacrificed for team success. The same must be true for cocktails.
🦑 Isles at Heart: Islander fans may still not be over the Seattle Kraken choosing Jordan Eberle in the expansion draft, or the fact he was exposed. It doesn’t help he’s having a great start to the season as the Islanders try to find their way. But, perhaps Islander fans can rest easy knowing Ebs still is an Islander at heart, as he continues to use his Islander mouthguard with the Kraken.
👩🏫 SOUND SMART: Arthur Staple points out in The Athletic that during the losing streak, all six losses have been by at least three goals. Only one team in Islanders history has done that—the 1972-73 Islanders. The inaugural squad had three separate losing streaks of at least six games in which they were beaten by three goals or more each game. Two of the Isles’ losses in this stretch, bookended by the 5-2 loss in Minnesota and to the Flames by the same score, featured more than one empty-net goal.
🎧 Nassuamen Hockey Podcast: Catch the next episode of NHP tomorrow morning on all platforms. This week, James and Jon welcome back AMNY’s Joe Pantorno to discuss where the Islanders go from here, how the kids stepped up, and much more. Subscribe today and never miss an episode.
🔗 Thoughts on the Islanders: A bizarre weekend, a decimated lineup and a hole that could keep getting deeper, by Arthur Staple: “The UBS Arena opening was a success. The rest of the weekend was a stressful, confusing array of disappointments for an Islanders team that is now in full-on concern mode. Panic? Well, that’s up to Lou Lamoriello, who may feel pressured into making some kind of major change; his players and his coach are more shellshocked than anything else.”
🔗 It’s getting real for the Islanders, figuring out the Stars and remembering the Bruins, by Sean McIndoe: “So where does that leave us? Mostly with a team that I still think is good, but has some serious ground to make up. They’re beat up right now, and managing several COVID-related absences, so they’re nowhere near full power.
And we leave you with this…Hockey Press Pass’s (and former Islanders VP of Communications) Chris Botta reported that Isles Lab (team store) on opening night destroyed the single-game record for sales in franchise history. The commemorative arena Opening Night items were huge sellers. Pins and pennants sold out. The next-best sellers in the commemorative line were pins, t-shirts, and hats.
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