Good morning, Islanders Country.
In the latest episode of “The Red Line,” co-hosts Phil Farber (@PhilzFacts) and David Tuchman (@TuckOnSports) are lowering the white flag, at least for now, after three wins in their last four games have the Islanders one point out of a playoff spot heading into tonight’s game in Columbus.
In this episode, they discuss Simon Holmstrom’s strong performance vs. Chicago, whether Roy should ride Varlamov or Soorkin, the upcoming schedule, Barzal, and Horvat finally getting back together, and Noah Dobson’s prolonged slump.
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Listen, enjoy, and dive in.
📚 SOUND SMART: Per Eric Hornick in The Skinny, Bo Horvat is 31-34-65 on the season. His 31 goals are tied for the second-highest total of his career (also 2021-22) and trail only 2022-23 (38), while his 65 points are his 2nd-highest total behind last season's 70. Horvat has tied his career-high of 34 assists in 2018-19.
🎥 ISLES REWIND: On April 5, 1986, Bob Nystrom played his 900th and final game with the Islanders, but this was no ordinary game. Back in January, Nystrom suffered a torn retina, threatening to end his hockey career at 899 games. To help him reach the milestone, head coach Al Arbour had Nystrom suit up for the Islanders’ final regular-season game of the season.
Nystrom was on the ice for the opening faceoff and skated for seven seconds before heading to the bench. ''I felt I had a pretty good game,'' Nystrom joked with the New York Times after’ 7-1 win over the New Jersey Devils.
🔗 NY Islanders set to raise money for the family of fallen NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller via Eyes on Isles “Back on Long Island for Tuesday night's game with the Chicago Blackhawks, the New York Islanders organization held a moment of silence at UBS Arena to honor fallen NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller, who was killed in the line of duty on Mar. 25 in Far Rockaway”
🔗 Islanders need Ilya Sorokin to build off funk-snapping win with playoff hopes still alive by Ethan Sears, New York Post “This single-mindedness has always been part of what makes Sorokin tick — a by-product of moving to Novokuznetsk, Russia, at age 12 to focus on hockey. So hearing a rare hint at the bigger picture come from him Tuesday night after breaking a personal six-game losing streak against the Blackhawks made for good reason to raise eyebrows.”
And we leave you with this…goals in two consecutive games for Alex Jefferies
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The Red Line: We're So Back