Lighthouse Hockey: Try to fixate on something else.
Well that was 48 hours of frustration. At multiple points during both losses to the Penguins and Sabres, you thought the Islanders might at least get a point or more. In each case, things shifted suddenly and maddeningly. They wake up still in a playoff spot, but also still with their biggest competitors for that […]
After yesterday’s 8-3 loss, the Islanders really needed this game to go well. And it almost did, as they came back twice, with Cal Ritchie and Anders Lee finding the back of the net for game tying goals. But then the Sabres reclaimed the lead late, taking advantage of bad defensive play by the Islanders, […]
The Islanders are so, so, so badly in need of a bounce back from their horrific disassembly at home by the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday night. Unfortunately, they have to do it against the Buffalo Sabres, who are vying for first overall in the conference. The Sabres are currently in a three-way tie with 98 […]
The New York Islanders continue to surprise us. “Lose a critical home game to the Penguins” was definitely in our probability set, but “have the tables flipped in an 8-goal second period of an 8-3 blowout” was not. That 8-3 final looks like a 5-3 game with three Patrick Roy empty netters, but it wasn’t […]
It’s (for the moment) 2nd vs. 3rd in the Metro tonight in Elmont, as the Islanders host the Penguins for their final(??) meeting of the regular season, at least. If things stay as they are — they never do — these two teams would meet in the first round of the postseason and both would […]
Mike and Dan recap a week in which the Islanders made us mad, then happy, then both in the same day before celebrating the Rangers elimination with a new Ranger Piece Theatre. The pendulum swung every way possible last week for the Islanders. An inexcusable loss to the lowly Blackhawks made the season look over. […]
The Islanders close out their five-game homestand tonight, with all the stakes on the line. It’s part of a critical back-to-back — they’re all “critical” right now — that finishes tomorrow in Buffalo. But tonight they can inflict direct damage on a fellow playoff spot contender and potential first-round opponent. The Pittsburgh Penguins arrive having […]
A sluggish first period where the Islanders gave up two goals in an afternoon game? I wouldn’t blame you if you turned your TV off after Matthew Tkachuk put the puck in the toy department with a between-the-legs shot. But… you would have missed a five-goal comeback win, led by Brayden Schenn’s three points and […]
The Islanders’ up-down, up-down form hopefully does not continue today when they host the Panthers for a 1 p.m. matinee in Elmont. Florida split two games at home (lost to the Wild, beat the Kraken) after finishing a road trip with a 4-1 loss in Calgary. Yes, they are last-except-for-the-Rangers in the East, but the […]
The New York Islanders needed this one after an extremely disappointing game against the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night. There was some bad blood between the Islanders and the Stars after Mikko Rantanen knocked out Alexander Romanov for the season the last time these two teams played, but with Rantanen dealing with an injury of […]
The Islanders continue to tempt fate and add injuries to the blueline as they host the Dallas Stars tonight. Tony DeAngelo is definitely out and Ryan Pulock is called a gametime decision, meaning Isaiah George would step in if Pulock misses his third straight game. (Alex Romanov, out for the regular season thanks to Mikko […]
What shall we expect of the Islanders tonight? With every point crucial in a crowded playoff race, they are in a run where they 1) played aimlessly against Ottawa yet still had at least a point on the table until the final 11 seconds, 2) gave up a gazillion goals to the Habs, 3) played […]
With multiple teams pushing for a playoff spot they are letting slip away, the Islanders wasted a golden opportunity to keep pace against a bottom-five team that has nothing to play for but the pretense that next season will be better. The Isles got out to a decent start and 1-0 lead in the first […]
The Islanders host the Blackhawks and will use the same lineup, minus a change in goal, as the 1-0 win over the Blue Jackets. That means Ryan Pulock remains out (injury), Matthew Schaefer remains a temporarily right-sided defenseman (and Adam Boqvist continues with Scott Mayfield), while Anthony Duclair stays out of the lineup, though Patrick […]
Mike and Dan recap a stressful week in which the Islanders’ season was off, then back on again, plus an epic new Master Leaf Theatre. Everything started great, with a businesslike win over the moribund Maple Leafs. Then, a trip to Ottawa meant a punch in the gut, and a Saturday night in Montreal meant […]
It’s another huge night in the playoff race in the Eastern Conference, with the Islanders hosting another “gotta get these points” opponent in the Chicago Blackhawks, who are finishing out another chapter of their multi-year tank. The only game last night was unhelpful to the Isles, as the Smurfs managed all of 9 shots on […]
Ilya Sorokin made 26 saves and Bo Horvat’s first-shift goal stood up as the only marker the Islanders needed two earn them two crucial points, in regulation, in a virtual must-win meeting with the surging Columbus Blue Jackets. It was a gusty performance by the Isles, who were missing Ryan Pulock and relied heavily on […]
The Islanders put themselves in a rough spot after their three-game Canada swing featured a win against an also-ran mixed with regulation losses to two teams that could very easily keep them out of the playoffs. They enter tonight one point out of the wild card and two points behind tonight’s opponent, the Columbus Blue […]
After the crushing loss to the Ottawa Senators where they got dominated after an early goal in the third period, the New York Islanders followed that up with a crushing loss to the Montreal Canadiens where they got dominated after an early goal in the third period. For a team that’s thrived all year on […]
The Islanders have a big one tonight in Montreal, where the Canadiens are in a three-way tie for the Atlantic’s third playoff spots (84 points, same as wild card occupants Detroit and Boston but with a game in hand) while the Islanders begin a night of play on the outside looking in for the first […]
After the Islanders spent 60 minutes in Ottawa trying to shoot themselves in the foot — only to finally hit the mark with 11 seconds to go — they’ve got a pretty significant back-to-back here to finish the Canada road trip in Montreal and then return home for a pivotal Sunday meeting with the surging […]
Friend and Predators reporter Alex Daugherty is back to talk about Vladimir Orszagh, a Slovakian import who was undervalued as an Islander but was instrumental to establishing Nashville’s – and Alex’s – love for hockey. The late 1990’s were a terrible time for the Islanders. The loses were many and prospects had little support in […]
This one suuuucks. Brady Tkachuk’s goal with 11 seconds left was a gut punch, but the Islanders squandered two leads, going up in the second period thanks to Matthew Schaefer, and then again early in the third thanks to Brayden Schenn. But Schenn’s goal was the ONLY SHOT ON GOAL FOR THE ISLANDERS IN THE […]
Sorry folks, forgot the game time for this one. Here’s a late-in-posting game thread for the Islanders in Ottawa. Still 0-0 at the time of posting, so…whatever happens from here on out is a direct result.
Cole Eiserman has decided to make the leap, signing an NHL entry level contract with the Islanders rather than sticking around NCAA Boston University to enjoy the finer perks of college life. The USNTDP product and 2024 first-rounder finished his sophomore year at BU with continued demonstration of his NHL-plus-caliber shot and continued speculation about […]