Good Morning, Islanders Country.
This time around the season won’t end with a heartbreaking loss. No images of exhausted bearded players, no post-game tears, no shaking hands with the eventual Stanley Cup Champions. For the fans, no playoff watch parties, nail-biting overtimes, and euphoric moments.
Nope. Not this time. It’s just three more regular-season games. Three more games until the end of a long season that had its ups and downs, twists and turns, starts and stops. A one-year blip with a return to playoffs to follow? We’ll see.
As the 80’s hairband Europe poetically asks in their rock anthem “Will things ever be the same again?” It’s the final countdown.
Coming up, Zdeno Chara and some former Islanders receive nominations while William Dufour takes home awards. Plus, an early look at some off-season trade candidates, a gauntlet of 100-point teams, and the final GWG at the Nassau Coliseum (or so we thought!).
Let’s dive in.
📰 NEWS: According to The Athletic, Capitals star Alexander Ovechkin is day-to-day with an unspecified upper-body injury. The Athletic noted that Ovechkin did not "do much with his left arm" during the team’s annual team picture on Monday. The games versus the Islanders are meaningful to the Capitals as they aim to catch the Pittsburgh Penguins for third place in the Metropolitan Division.
◾️ Recently signed Islanders prospect William Dufour cleaned up at the Saint John Sea Dogs’ Annual Award Banquet. Dufour took home three trophies for Top Scorer, Players’ MVP choice, and team MVP.
◾️ The Islanders’ chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association on Monday selected Zdeno Chara as its nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication. Read Andrew Gross’s story in Newsday for more on how Chara’s love for playing and enthusiasm for being around his teammates has never wavered during a disappointing season.
◾️The Islanders have had three Masterton winners: Robin Lehner (2019), Mark Fitzpatrick (1992), and Ed Westfall (1977). Chara has been previously nominated by the Washington Capitals and Boston Bruins.
◾️ Former Islanders Kyle Okposo (Sabres) and Andrew Ladd (Coyotes) have also been nominated as finalists. Okposo has battled back from concussions to score 21 goals this season, his highest since 2015-16 with the Isles. Meanwhile, Ladd reached the 1,000 games played milestone after being at 920 games following the 2018-19 season. He played just 26 games with the Isles after 2019.
⏭ NEXT UP: The Islanders play their final road game of the season tonight against the Washington Capitals. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 PM.
📊 STANDINGS:
In The Hockey Writers, Mike Fink takes a look at four Islanders that could be moved in the off-season as the team looks to rebuild and reshape their roster. The list of Islanders that the team would 1) move and 2) have appeal is not long, but there is a mix of an upside young forward, a proven playoff-tested goaltender, an established polarizing veteran with term left, and a top-4 defenseman with a darling contract.
Anthony Beauvillier
The 24-year-old forward had a difficult season and struggled to adapt to the line changes, scoring only 12 goals and adding 21 assists to the offense. He is expected to bounce back next season and contribute to the top two lines. However, many teams will likely be interested in a young forward that has proven he can elevate an offense and the Islanders will likely include him in a blockbuster deal as a result.
Semyon Varlamov
The Islanders will likely keep their 33-year-old goaltender to backup Ilya Sorokin, who has emerged as one of the best young goaltenders in the NHL, providing the team with a strong goaltending duo for next season. However, considering Sorokin is expected to remain the starter, and start over 50 games next year, Lou Lamoriello and the front office will have to consider moving on from their veteran goaltender who is a free agent at the end of next season.
Josh Bailey
With Bailey starting to enter the twilight of his career, the veteran forward isn’t an ideal skater for other teams to pursue, but will likely be part of an offer with two years left on his contract and proving he can take on a limited role in a forward unit.
Scott Mayfield
He is a valuable defenseman that the Islanders would ideally like to have on their roster next season. However, if they are looking to make a big move in the offseason, they could move him to upgrade their roster elsewhere.
📚 SOUND SMART: Per Eric Hornick in The Skinny, the Isles have hosted opponents with at least 100 points in three straight games for the first time in club history. The streak will grow to five if Washington earns a single point over their next two games. It would be only the second time in NHL history that has happened (Montreal did this in 1971-72).
🗓 ISLE REMEMBER: On April 25, 2015, the Islanders beat the Washington Capitals 3-1 in Game 6 of their 1st round series in the final game at the Nassau Coliseum before the team returned in 2018. Nikolay Kulemin scores the game-winning goal late in the third period, while Cal Clutterbuck scores an empty-netter. Jaroslav Halak stopped 38-of-39 shots in the win.
🎧 Islanders Award Winners: Bryan Trottier, Calder Trophy, 1976 with Dan Saraceni, Lighthouse Hockey “unique underage draft, a boy so humble and quiet he barely said a word all season, an instant No. 1 center who started his career with a hat trick in a five point game in his first appearance at his home arena. Trottier would score throughout the season, finishing with record numbers and helping the Islanders establish themselves as one of the best NHL teams of the mid-70’s.”
🔗 Islanders Prospect Report: April 25, 2022 by Rachel Luscher, NewYorkIslanders.com “Dufour signed with the New York Islanders on Thursday, agreeing to terms on a three-year, entry level contract, while closing out a record-breaking regular season with the Saint John Sea Dogs. Dufour put up 112 points (53G, 59A) in 63 games played for the Sea Dogs, with 12 multi-goal games. He leads the QMJHL in goals and received league recognition as Player of the Week on April 19.”
And we leave you with this…2022-23 Season Ticket Members will receive a 50th Anniversary Commemorative Book, written by Stan Fischler. This limited edition Commemorative Book will include a collection of essays, with profiles on Isles legends, recaps of iconic moments in Isles history, an inside look at what it means to be an Islander, and more. The book will also display QR codes throughout, providing fans with extended multimedia content to bring the stories to life.
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