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Good Morning, Islanders Country.
In the latest episode of “The Red Line” with co-hosts Phil Farber (@PhilzFacts) and David Tuchman (@TuckOnSports), the boys discuss how things have escalated from concern to the arrival of DEFCOM 1. Are the Islanders approaching the point where dramatic changes are necessary to make the playoffs? Dave and Phil give their take on the team’s most prevalent issues, lineup decisions, and, of course, the coach.
In this episode:
Bad luck and Bad goals
The line combinations make no sense
Is Lane coaching scared?
Too many ‘burn the tape’ games
Kyle MacLean gets called up
Social Media Mailbag
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📰 NEWS: The Islanders placed center Casey Cizikas on Injured Reserve (IR) retroactive to Jan. 9 and called up Kyle MacLean from Bridgeport. The 24-year-old is the son of Islanders assistant coach John MacLean and has 19 points (6G, 13A) through 36 games in his fourth season with Bridgeport.
Cizikas has been considered week-to-week since suffering the injury in the first period of the game against the Vancouver Canucks on Jan. 9. He has missed four games since then. The veteran has 11 points (5G, 6A) through 39 games this season, totaling 82:09 shorthanded ice time and averaging 13:30 TOI per game.
Stadium Series Jersey Watch
The wait is almost over.
New Jersey Devils beat reporter Ryan Novozinsky of the Star-Ledger was able to confirm that the Stadium Series jerseys would be released next week and was able to get some thoughts from the league on the type of designs fans should expect.
“With the jerseys, let’s face it, these teams have played in a lot of outdoor games,” NHL chief content officer Seve Mayer said to NJ.com. “Every time, we have to be a little different with the designs. I think you’re going to like these."
The game between the New York Islanders and New York Rangers will be their second outdoor matchup. The Blueshirts, who will be the away team in NJ, defeated the Isles 2-1 on a frigid night at Yankee Stadium in 2014. On that night, the Isles debuted a new modern design with an enlarged "NY" logo that stood out with the four stripes on the stick blade outlined in a chrome border. That reimagined “NY” logo was part of their Brooklyn thirds and remains on their current alternate uniforms.
⏭ NEXT UP: The Islanders will try to snap their three-game losing streak on Friday night in Chicago vs. the Blackhawks. Face-off is 8:30 PM EST.
📊 STANDINGS:
📚 SOUND SMART: Per Eric Hornick in The Skinny, Ilya Sorokin has now faced at least forty shots eight times this season and 25 times in his career. The 28-year-old has faced the most shots of any goaltender in the league this season.
Ilya Sorokin 1,108
Alexandar Georgiev 1,011
Juuse Saros 953
Thatcher Demko 934
According to Hornick, no goalie has ever played the full season for the Islanders and led the NHL in this category; Kelly Hrudey led the NHL in 1988-89; but he was traded at the deadline from Long Island to the Los Angeles Kings.
🎥 ISLES REWIND: On Jan. 18, 1973, the New York Islanders enjoyed the best win of their first season, defeating Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito, and the Boston Bruins 9-7 at Boston Garden.
"Western Union is going to have all kinds of queries when they send out that score," Isles General Manager Bill Torrey said of the unexpected outcome.
14 different Islanders hit the scoresheet in the win, including a pair of three-point games from Billy Harris (2G, 1A) and Don Blackburn (2G, 1A), while Ed Westfall had two goals against the club that left him unprotected in the expansion draft.
🎧 Talkin Isles: Pat LaFontaine joins Greg and Cory for Ep. 56 of the podcast. The Hall of Famer talks about growing up in St. Louis (1:52), getting drafted third overall in 1983 (12:59), participating in the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo (15:07), his five-point performance in his second NHL game (18:40), scoring the game-winner in the Easter Epic (24:52), Northwell Presents The Park at UBS Arena (34:20) and more!
🔗 January becoming cursed month for Lane Lambert’s Islanders by Joe Pantorno, amNY “Two Januarys under Lane Lambert and, so far, two alarming months for the Islanders. New York is amidst another swoon to start the calendar year which has derailed a persistent two-and-a-half months that saw them sit in second place in the Metropolitan Division on New Year’s Eve”
🔗 Since Islanders Broke Up Barzal & Horvat... by Stefen Rosner, The Hockey News “So, to recap, the Islanders are 1-3-0 since deciding to separate Barzal and Horvat initially and have scored just seven goals over their last four games, with just three over their last three outings.”
And we leave you with this…The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler wrote a profile on James Hagens, the 2025 NHL Draft’s top prospect and hockey’s next American star, who happened to grow up on Long Island as a fan of the New York Islanders.
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The Red Line: Welcome to DEFCON 1