Good Morning, Islanders Country.
"Even if there's a small chance that we can undo this, I mean, we owe it to everyone who is not in this room, to try.” - Scarlett Johansson aka Black Widow in The Avengers: Endgame
The super talented Nick Persaud of Isles Territory posted an Avengers-themed hype video on Tuesday (watch in full at the end of the newsletter) which, like all his hype videos, needs to be played in the Islanders’ dressing room before each game.
The message was clear. The odds are stacked against you. Your playoff chances are vanishing. The only way forward is to do whatever it takes to get back into the fight.
Coming up, an Islander we expected to get claimed off waivers does while another is expecting. Plus, high praise for Mat Barzal, the forever fisherman divide, and the Trio Grande Line takes on the Soviets.
Let’s dive in.
📰 NEWS: It was back to reality and business for the Islanders as they practiced in Vancouver on Tuesday. There won’t be much time for practice in the second half, which will be played at a blistering pace with 43 games on the schedule in just 80 days.
“We know where we are at and it's not acceptable to be where we're at," said Mathew Barzal. "We've been working hard and everyone seems to have their wheels and their focus. We're looking to get off on the right foot tomorrow."
Where they are isn’t pretty. The two teams they are closest to are the Washington Capitals (21 points behind, 8 games in hand) and the Boston Bruins (17 points behind, 4 games in hand).
The Barry Trotz led Islanders have been able to have one significant hot streak each season. Most recently a nine-game winning streak in 2021 and a seventeen-game point streak in 2019-20. They’ll need to repeat that just to get back in the playoff conversation and then more to find a way into a spot.
🐙 CLAIMED: The Seattle Kraken dealt a blow to the Islanders for the second time in under a week, claiming 29-year-old forward Austin Czarnik on waivers.
"He came in and did an awesome job for us and anytime a player that can get picked up by another team potentially and stay in the NHL I'm all for it, said Trotz. Unfortunately, for us it's a piece that we will miss."
Big picture, Czarnik is a UFA after the season and it’s unlikely he fits into the team’s future plans. For Czarnik, this should be as good an opportunity as he has had to play consistent minutes. We’ll wait to see if any of those come with Jordan Eberle on his wing to send social media ablaze.
👶 COMING DUE: We’ve been saying all season that Kyle Palmieri was due. Well, so was his significant other. Despite reports on Monday night, it is paternity leave and not COVID as to why he was placed on the non-roster list.
"Kyle will be joining us I believe in Edmonton," Trotz said. "Family comes first with the Islanders, so we want him to spend a day or two with his wife and his newborn and he'll get out here and resume play."
⏭ NEXT UP: The Islanders return to action tonight as they begin a four-game road trip starting with the Vancouver Canucks in the first game between the teams in almost two years. The game is being televised on TNT. Puck drops at 10:30 PM.
📊 STANDINGS:
👏🏻 HIGH PRAISE: When guys who can bat hockey pucks out of the air for goals talk, I listen. Former Islander Rob Schremp was a guest on Chris Botta’s Hockey Press Pass: Islanders Forecheck and had very high praise for another No. 13.
“Barzal is electric. Same level in my opinion with MacKinnon. But other teams have the high-end linemate to support their star. Matt draws 2-3 on him. The Islanders need to find just one guy (to get max out of him). Sky’s the limit for Barzal.”
This is going to be a theme as long as the Isles are 1) not scoring and 2) not winning. Much like a prior star player, the Islanders have surrounded Barzal with good but not great offensive players on their top line (and sometimes not even that). How or when that can get rectified is anyone’s guess as is the type of numbers Barzal would put up if an All-Star level winger was beside him. The Islanders’ style combined with the lack of a sniper to be the beneficiary of Barzal’s playmaking makes it unlikely he can approach the 85 points he had in his rookie season on his way to the Calder Trophy.
🔄 REVERSE RETRO, PART DEUX: It didn’t take long for the rumor mill to start churning following the NHL’s announcement of another round of reverse retros for the 2022-23 season. The fanbase is divided on which direction the team should go.
The Fisherman is beloved as much as it’s hated, but as Chris Botta points out, the team is marketing it pretty heavily. Could they be giving in?
Something to keep in mind, however - next season is the team’s 50th Anniversary celebration. Would the team consider updating their 25th-anniversary patch that donned the Fisherman and “the wave” jersey? Or do they have a 50th Anniversary surprise in store?
📚SOUND SMART: According to Ethan Sears of the New York Post, per Per Natural Stat Trick, Kyle Palmieri currently leads the Islanders in:
On-ice Fenwick For/60
On-ice shots for/60
On-ice xGF/60
On-ice scoring chances for/60
On-ice high-danger chances for/60
There are no moral victories (or stats) when you have just one goal in 29 games and you are paid to be a goal-scorer. But if the Islanders and Palmieri are looking for encouraging signs heading into the second half and next season, this would be it.
🗓 ISLE REMEMBER: On Feb. 8, 1979, a Hall of Fame group of Islanders played in Game 1 of the Challenge Cup, a series of international hockey games between the Soviet Union and NHL All-Stars at Madison Square Garden.
The NHL would win Game 1 by a score of 4-2 as Mike Bossy and Clark Gillies each scored first-period goals. The Soviets would go on to win the next two games (6-0 in GM 3) to win the series, but the Trip Grande line of Bossy, Gillies and Bryan Trottier was a bright spot for the NHL.
🎧 Nassaumen Hockey Podcast: James and Jon return with a gameday episode covering the last week in Isles hockey, Adam Pelech’s all-star game appearance, and how - or if - the Islanders can turn their season around.
🔗 Islanders Weekly: Roster Overhaul Appears Imminent, Jon Zella, The Hockey Writers: “It’s safe to say Lamoriello zigged when he should have zagged this offseason, but he and Trotz have done a good job over the last three years to tweak the roster with a lot of positive results, even if it wasn’t clear at first. The tweaks they made didn’t work this year, but it doesn’t mean it can’t be fixed. However, for the first time during their tenure, it seems they need to add some major pieces to get the Islanders back into the playoff conversation.”
And we leave you with this…the aforementioned Avengers hype video (2022 version) courtesy of @IslesTerritory. Enjoy!
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