Good Morning, Islanders Country.
There was a brief moment when I thought I’d be opening with news of 20-year-old Aatu Räty making his debut tonight at UBS Arena. But actually, he was just scratched on Wednesday with a non-Covid related illness and was probably never a consideration. Oh well, someday.
GM Lou Lamoriello had a different plan to address the hopefully short-term injury woes the Isles are facing, calling up Cole Bardreau and Hudson Fasching from Bridgeport. It’s expected at least one will be in the lineup this evening.
Over the first quarter of the season, the Isles have been remarkably healthy, losing the fewest games to injuries per NHL Injury Viz. But tonight, they’ll be down three regulars against the Nashville Predators, a team coming off a resounding 4-3 OT win over the New Jersey Devils, and one that has had the Isles number in recent years. The Isles are 0-6-2 in their last eight games vs. the team from Music City, including a 5-4 loss in Nashville last month.
Coming up, Lou explains the roster moves, and the call-ups want to make the most of their opportunity. Plus, the team poses with pups, an end to a 10-game skid, and bobbleheads that are legen…wait for it…dary.
Let’s dive in.
📰 NEWS: GM Lou Lamoriello spoke with the media on Thursday and announced that Kyle Palmieri, who has missed the last four games, was placed on Injured Reserve retroactive to Nov. 21 with an upper-body injury.
Meanwhile, Cal Clutterbuck, who played just 4:11 versus the Flyers, is day-to-day with an upper-body injury, although Lamoriello confirmed it was not related to his season-ending shoulder surgery.
◾️ QUICK HEALER: “I think you’re always concerned when a player gets injured, but he recovers pretty quickly,” Lamoriello said of Clutterbuck. “That’s the one thing that he’s capable of. And our concerns will only be there if we feel that it’s something that necessitates that. Right now, we don’t feel that.
Josh Bailey, who took warmups on Tuesday before leaving the ice, is also day-to-day with an upper-body injury and skated on Thursday.
◾️ Hudson Fasching and Cole Bardreau were recalled from loan in Bridgeport due to positional need, according to Lamoriello. Bardreau has nine points (5G, 4A) in 19 games this season, and Fasching has 10 points (7G, 3A) in 18 games. "They were positional call ups," Lamoriello said. "We could have called up other people in different positions but that's not the need right now. It's a positional need and also warranted on the way they have played throughout the season."
WHAT WE WORK FOR: “It means a lot. I mean to be part of a new organization, to have this opportunity, it’s everything,” Fasching said. “That’s what we work for in this sport is to try to get called up to the highest level.”
STAYING IN THE MOMENT: “It’s obviously pretty exciting,” Bardreau said. “When you get to kind of do my age you think your opportunity might be gone there, that you’re not going to get another look at it, so it kind of just trying to stay in the moment and enjoy it.”
◾️ REMEMBER WHEN: Fans best remember Bardreau from his 10-game stint during the 2019-20 season, which included his first (and only) NHL goal on a penalty shot against the Ottawa Senators.
His celebration landed him on the back page of Newsday.
◾️ WAIVED AGAIN: The Philadelphia Flyers placed former Islanders first-round pick Kieffer Bellows on waivers on Thursday. The 24-year-old went without a point in 11 games with the Flyers. He appeared in one game with the Islanders this season and was a minus-1 against the Florida Panthers on Oct. 13. If the Isles were to claim him, he would be assigned directly to Bridgeport.
⏭ NEXT UP: The Islanders host the Nashville Predators tonight at UBS Arena, with face-off set for 7:30 PM. On Sunday, the Islanders welcome the Chicago Blackhawks to Long Island.
📊 STANDINGS:
🐶 CUTENESS OVERLOAD: If you were having a “ruff” day, the annual Islanders Puppy Calendar Shoot cured that. You can see all the adorableness of the 2023 Pucks And Paws Calendar Photo Shoot HERE
Side note: I’m still getting used to seeing Mathew Barzal with short hair.
📚 SOUND SMART: Per Eric Hornick in The Skinny, Ilya Sorokin has the best home save percentage in the NHL this season. Sorokin went 13-5-4 at UBS Arena last season and is 5-3-0 this season, despite allowing just 12 goals in the eight games (1.63 GAA, .954 save percentage). The Isles have scored only two goals in his three home losses this year and only ten goals in his eight home losses.
🗓 THIS DATE IN ISLANDERS HISTORY: On December 2, 2013, the Islanders stopped a 10-game losing streak with a 3-2 shootout win over the San Jose Sharks. The Isles trailed 2-0 after the first, but Thomas Vanek got them on the board, and Kyle Okposo scored the tying goal with 1:37 left in regulation. Okposo then got the game-winner in the fourth round of a shootout for the Isles first win since November 16th. Goaltender Kevin Poulin made 46 saves in the win.
"This was big for us," Okposo said. "They're a good team. As bad as we played in the first period, to stick with it all game and go into the third period down 2-0, to get this win was huge."
🔗 Lamoriello Provides Injury Updates, Explains Call-Up Decisions by Stefan Rosner, NYIHockeyNow “Prior to the start of Thursday’s practice, New York Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello addressed the media to provide updates.”
🔗 Islanders Have 3 Good Blackhawks Trade Targets by Mike Fink, The Hockey Writers “The Chicago Blackhawks are one of the teams that are in the middle of a rebuild and are in the process of tearing down their roster. They are an intriguing team for the Islanders and a lot of teams looking to contend this season as they have a few star players that can fuel a Cup run, and similarly, they have a few depth players that can help prepare a team for the playoffs.”
And we leave you with this…tonight is the first of the Islanders’ "Legends Night” of the season, and for each, the first 10,000 fans will receive a limited edition bobblehead.
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.....OK, so let's SEE - et TU, Maatus???? DISlike, intensely - hair, is LIFE (and ESPECIALLY in THIS sport.....LOL).
Not worried about those still (ADVISABLY) healing; WON'T be long before they're back - and I always liked Cole; wouldn't imagine any scenario where Kieffer RETURNS....finally, FAIL on the Bobby Ny bobble (problems with Boss, too - but not NEARLY so egregious.....Nystrom's FACIAL expression makes him LOOK like an old WOMAN! Clarkie, JT & Denis are ALL well-done (although I wish they'd REALLY knock me out with the CREST renderings for ONCE.....just lazy!) but, NO Smitty????
.....just received the yearbook - there IS one, after all.....