RSS Islanders Team Notes

[New York Islanders]

Trade: Islanders send Tsyplakov to Devils for Palat, picks

What on earth is going on in the Metropolitan Division? More narrowly, the metropolitan trio in the Metropolitan Division?

For the second time this week, the New York Islanders made a trade with one of their next door neighbors in a move that again appears to aid both parties.

The Isles sent winger Max Tsyplakov to the New Jersey Devils for Ondrej Palat, a third-round pick this summer and a sixth-round pick in the 2027 draft. Earlier in the week, the Islanders sent a third-rounder to the Rangers {spits} for defenseman Carson Soucy.

The Devils have been looking for a while to offload Palat, who has this season and next left on a five-year, $6 million AAV contract — although the quotes coming from his now-former coach and teammates are glowing about what he means/t to the team. Tsyplakov, who also has a year left after this season, has been unable to gain a regular spot in Patrick Roy’s lineup, nor get any sustained minutes whenever he is dressed.

It appears to be a deal of convenience for both sides, with Mathieu Darche knowing Palat from their shared time with the Lightning. Tsyplakov’s cap hit ($2.25 million) is less than half Palat’s, which may be key for the Devils, who are also trying to offload Dougie Hamilton and his $9 million AAV.

For this season at least, the Islanders have some unwelcome flexibility with the season-ending injury to Kyle Palmieri and at-least-till-deep-in-postseason injury to Alex Romanov. Palat’s offense has all but disappeared since his Lightning days, but the Isles probably see those other traits that the Devils claim to appreciate. If he gets a spot more frequently than Tsyplakov did, then he likely bumps a Marc Gatcomb or Kyle MacLean from the lineup.

And that’s if he survives the Olympics; Palat is slated to head to Italy to represent the Czech Republic.

Meanwhile, it will be interesting to watch if the Devils can unlock something with Tsyplakov. He clearly was not getting much of a role under Roy, despite the coach’s profession that he wanted to see more. If he can’t get anything going with a fresh start under Sheldon Keefe, then the die on his NHL profile will be cast.

Source: https://www.lighthousehockey.com/is.../43893/trade-islanders-palat-tsyplakov-devils

 

[New York Islanders]

Islanders Gameday: Another trade, another Rangers pair

For all of us wondering if Islanders GM Mathieu Darche was going to invest in his currently-playoff-position team or commence with a selloff, the last two days gave us a clear answer. The first-year GM is not going big-game hunting, but he is managing assets (and spending a little cap space) to bring in veteran reinforcements to fill holes that lingered at forward and defense.

The Islanders enter a very interesting home-and-home with the Rangers having completed two trades in two days, one with each of their immediate neighbors. After acquiring short-time Ranger Carson Soucy for the blueline on Monday, they followed that up with a deal for Ondrej Palat from the Devils on Tuesday, sending Max Tsyplakov out the other way.

If Palat has anything left, it will be a bonus. If he’s as washed up as Devils watchers have described the last two seasons — and admittedly, a $6 million cap hit can color that evaluation — then we’ll find out soon enough and we’ll be annoyed throughout next season.

Anyway, the experiments with the new guys starts at home tonight vs. the Rangers, for that rare Wednesday-Thursday home-and-home. First Islanders Goal picks go here.

Islanders News​

• Seven facts about Palat, a Czech seventh-round pick in the same draft as Scott Mayfield who somehow has 13 NHL playoff game winners. [Isles]
• “Great guy, great leader.” [NHL]
• The deal is one for one…plus some picks. If current standings hold, the Islanders actually upgraded their third-rounder this summer. [LHH | Isles | Newsday]
• Previewing tonight, except without any updates, so check back after the morning skate. [Isles]
• Gross: The post-Olympic schedule for the Isles is “severe.” [Newsday]
• The Rangers would do well to just get a goal tonight. Let’s not though, okay? [Post]
• Geniuses grading the trade. [Athletic]

After seeing this “the Isles aren’t done” clip, I didn’t figure the next move would be something like Palat. But I guess on a basic, “we’re not aiming high but we’d like to get to the postseason” level, it makes sense:

Pierre LeBrun on the #Isles an hour ago:

“They’re not done if they have there way. They want to make the playoffs, and the reason for that is they think it will be a great experience for a lot of the younger players. The playoffs matter.”

pic.twitter.com/J9CoqKptw3

— Rob Taub (@RTaub_) January 28, 2026

Isles picked a kid out of Russia at the cost of zero assets. Turned that into a third, a sixth, and 1.3 seasons of Palat, an experienced playoff pro who'll give you more than Tsyplakov in the short term. East is wide open man. Works for NJD too. Good stuff.

— Justin Bourne (@jtbourne) January 28, 2026

Elsewhere​

Lots of games last night, including Rasmus Dahlin getting a hat trick in Toronto and the loathsome Patrick Kane tying Mike Modano for American points collectors. Also the Devils lost at home to Winnipeg, and the Capitals lost in Seattle.

• The Maple Leafs suck and should sell. (All I know is “it starts with me.”) [Sportsnet]
• Bryan Rust’s first suspension is three games(!) and the Penguins are understandably miffed, especially when they’ve experienced Jacob Trouba, Chicken Wing Man of Innocence. [TSN]

Source: https://www.lighthousehockey.com/is...896/islanders-gameday-rangers-palat-tsyplakov

 

[New York Islanders]

Islanders Gameday: Seeking revival in Philly

The Islanders will try to rediscover their game, or at least their look, with a visit to Philadelphia tonight. The Flyers are just two points back with a game in hand, coming off a potential “statement” victory in Colorado. That third position in the Metro the Isles currently (and tenuously) hold has become more prominent lately, as the two current wild card holders are from the Atlantic, Montreal and Boston, each three or more points ahead.

Lots of season left to go, but the first-quarter narrative of the laughable Atlantic has shifted now that Boston has righted itself, Montreal has rebounded from a swoon and the Sabres continue to do whatever the hell they’ve been up to over the past 20 games ever since they started hanging around that Faust guy.

First Islanders Goal picks go here.

Islanders News​

• Isaiah George was thrilled to make his season debut Saturday, after missing out on previous callups due to his own injuries. [Isles | Newsday | Post | THN]
• Takeaways from Saturday: the benched top line, the overturned goals (well, one was simply after the horn sounded), and “did it to themselves.” [Isles]
• The Skinny: In WTF trivia, “Alex Lyon and Tristan Jarry are the only opposing goaltenders with two shutouts at UBS Arena.” [Isles]
• Gross: It was the right call to sit Barzal-Duclair-Lee to uphold a standard for the team. [Newsday]

Elsewhere​

Sunday scores included the Devils falling in Seattle (two goals for Jordan Eberle), the Senators blowing out Vegas and the Penguins survived a late push by the lowly Canucks.

• Also, Brock Nelson completed a hat trick against the Leafs with an empty net goal. [NHL]
• The Canucks hate themselves. [Sportsnet]
• So do the Knights, at least for one game. Mark Stone blasted his team for playing “like a junior team” against his old squad. [Sportsnet]
• Probably include the Leafs in that self-assessment, too. [Sportsnet]
• Linus Ullmark didn’t start, but he was back in the lineup for the Sens after his personal leave for whatever your local tweeter rumored it was for. [TSN]
• Sam Montembeault continues to…not inspire confidence in Montreal. [Sportsnet]

Source: https://www.lighthousehockey.com/is.../43864/islanders-gameday-flyers-isaiah-george

 

[New York Islanders]

Islanders vs. Rangers B2B News: Do that again.

The Islanders met a moribund rival and soundly defeated the Rangers, who logged their fewest shots ever in the history of this derby rivalry. That team over there looked to be sleepwalking, outside of a few dangerous chances that the Isles maddeningly conceded. Maybe it was a bit of numbed shock in reaction to Artemi Panarin being held out of the lineup awaiting a trade, but the Islanders need to jump on this again in the rematch tonight at the World’s Most Self-Promoting Arena.

The newcomers did fine, with Ondrej Palat hilariously riding a fountain of youth (for one night at least) on his way to first star (and Iron Mask) of the game. Carson Soucy brought the Stable Veteran Presence and thew his body around a bit.

They get to do it again tonight, and maybe even watch Matt Rempe trip over himself again.

First Islanders Goal picks go here.

Islanders News​

• Jenny recaps: The score could’ve been even more lopsided, though the Isles went through one disturbing stretch of allowing Grade A chances. [LHH]
• More takeaways: Good debuts and a welcome return for Ryan Pulock as they “ease past” the Smurfs. [Isles | NHL]
• “Crushing…domination,” give me more, more. [Post]
• The former Devil and former Ranger discuss why they were happy to change teams but not homes. [Newsday]
• Palat enjoyed his new linemates (and probably discovered Simon Holmstrom’s skill, too) and the Iron Mask, while Anders Lee said, “We woke up [as] a better team today.” [Isles]
• Palat recalls the tough playoff bouts with the Islanders, and is happy to see ol’ teammate Jonathan Drouin, too. [Isles]
• And Soucy, he’s…big…and strong. [Isles]
• Mathieu Darche’s moves reflect belief in his currently playoff-holding squad, one he said he wanted to reward. [Newsday | Isles | Athletic]
• Prospect Report: Kvasnicka and Nurmi continue to roll. [Isles]
• First Kipper & Bourne talk for an hour about how the Leafs need to blow it up, but then right here they talk to Cal Clutterbuck, who’s been an excellent analyst on MSG. [YouTube]

Post-game availabilities with Patrick Roy, Simon Holmstrom, Ryan Pulock and Ondrej Palat:

Elsewhere​

Just two other games last night (but 15 tonight!), including the Blue Jackets helpfully regulation-ing the Flyers, and the Senators being the latest to beat the Avalanche.

• Erm, whatever the Rangers’ goal was last night, they did not achieve it. [Post]
• It seems Panarin’s played his last game in red pants. [NHL | ESPN]
• The Canadiens cannot figure out their goalie situation so they’ve fired their goalie coach. [TSN]
• Victor Hedman, who’s even older than Palat, is close to returning for the Lightning. [NHL]
• Bourne: After going winless over a five-game homestand for the first time since the Harold Ballard, Chuck Norris Division era, the terrible “Tower of Terror” Leafs should be sellers, but they need to answer some big questions first. [Sportsnet]

Source: https://www.lighthousehockey.com/is...s/43913/islanders-vs-rangers-palat-soucy-home

 

[New York Islanders]

Islanders 2, Rangers 1: Sweep upon sweep, another Schaefer milestone

He shoots, he scores. | NHLI via Getty Images

The New York Islanders completed their latest season sweep of the crosstown Rangers with a sleepy 2-1 win at Madison Square Garden. The win also represented a sweep of their home-and-home over the last 24 hours, and banked some important points in the run-up to the Olympic break.

As has often been the case this season, the Islanders played down to their competition, matching the energy of a quiet arena and a team that looks disinterested in bringing much to the table while its management intentionally sits their most dangerous teammate in the name of another Garden tank.

The Islanders fourth line, with Max Shabanov back in the lineup due to Casey Cizikas being banged up, was the only one to really bring energy through the first two periods. And they were the ones who finally broke through on a fluke play with just under three minutes to go in the second.

[NHL Gamecenter | Game Summary | Event Summary | Natural Stat Trick]

That goal came through a delicious connection: Carson Soucy, who was a Ranger just a few days ago but not long enough to let the Stench Of Ranger to sink into his pores, slapped a bad-angle puck as it bounced off the left wing boards that somehow squeaked through Jonathan Quick. Soucy had picked up the puck thanks to a shanked Shabanov pass, and the final bit of hilarity is that Scott Mayfield got the secondary assist, his 104th assist in 587 career regular season games.

Carson Soucy scores in his first game back at MSG! pic.twitter.com/zSRt9RwTLL

— Rob Taub (@RTaub_) January 30, 2026

Perhaps that broke the seal, at least briefly. Matthew Schaefer doubled the lead 95 seconds later, passing Bobby Orr among 18-year-olds with a no-doubter sizzling shot through a Simon Holmstrom block-out-the-sun screen.

Schaefer’s 14th goal means he now trails only Phil Housley (17) in the record books for goals by an 18-year-old defenseman.

MATTHEW SCHAEFER

The 18-year-old scores his 14th of the year! pic.twitter.com/VLCtJ3gyJV

— NHL (@NHL) January 30, 2026

That sent the Islanders to the third period with a 2-0 lead just a few minutes after it looked possible no one would score, or even bother to shoot, until the shootout forced someone to.

The third period did not include much more energy, though a little more angst since the Rangers scored on the power play with another Mika Zibanejad one-timer just under three minutes into the final period.

Tony DeAngelo tok a minor a few minutes after that, but the Islanders killed that one off. Still, this night highlighted a persistent, ugly reality about Islanders special teams: The power play sucks, and seems at a loss for ideas even on how to gain the zone.

That doesn’t seem possible — and shouldn’t be possible — with skaters like Schaefer and Mat Barzal and shooters like Bo Horvat and Emil Heineman at their disposal. Maybe the staff should spend the entire Olympic break redesigning the power play approach.

But that’s a lament for a night where it costs them the game; against the Rangers, it only cost them the chance to blow their rivals out.

For now, we can enjoy a season sweep and a home-and-home sweep of the Smurfs, and keeping pace with the Eastern Conference’s other flawed playoff contenders.

Season Sweep #Isles #NYR pic.twitter.com/x7J94i4m0n

— 𝐈𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐅𝐢𝐱 (@IslesFix) January 30, 2026

A MAN OF HIS WORD. #Isles pic.twitter.com/i0QMMAgY1s

— Isles Territory (@IslesTerritory) January 30, 2026

Source: https://www.lighthousehockey.com/game-recaps/43923/islanders-rangers-rematch-sweep-schaefer

 

[New York Islanders]

Islanders News: Rivalry sweep, Darche on direction

NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 29: The New York Islanders celebrate their victory in the National Hockey League game between the New York Islanders and the New York Rangers on January 29, 2026 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. (Photo by Joshua Sarner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The morning after beating the Rangers is always sweet; after completing a season sweep, even more so. And remember, it’s not about how they did it, it’s about how badly the misguided Rangers fans in your life feel.

The competition over the next four pre-Olympic games should put up more of a fight, but for now we can enjoy attaining four points that were there for the taking.

Islanders News​

• Recaps of finishing the sweep with a sweep. [LHH | Newsday]
• Takeaways: Doing enough on D until their own chances went in. Also, official reason for Casey Cizikas missing the game was illness, not because he was banged up from the prior night. [Isles]
• Gross: The Isles can’t afford to try to do too much during this home stretch. [Newsday]
• “The regular-season series sweep is one thing, but the nature of each Rangers defeat signaled a turning point in the long-standing rivalry.” [Post]
• Soucy’s ability to play on the PK should free Matthew Schaefer from at least some of that load. [THN]
• UPDATE: Listen to Schafer calling into Boomer Esiason this morning as they go back and forth. [via Reddit]

Here’s post-game availabilities from last night, with Schaefer praising the fans and enjoying the rivalry (some of that also in article form in the Post), Carson Soucy reacting to scoring against his old team (some of that in this Post article) and two blueline goals (“two snipes, identical goals really” , and Patrick Roy talking about the effort and comparing Schaefer’s just-above-the-pad shot location to Ray Bourque’s.

Prior to all that Mathieu Darche continued post-trade media rounds, talking about rewarding the team for where it is, adding veterans who know how to play playoff hockey, and how a “humble” Roy is nothing like the “my way or the highway” public persona that followed him in the old days:

Elsewhere​

Tons of games in the NHL Thursday night, including the Rangers losing. (Did we mention that?)

• How the Avalanche are so damned good (with some Brock Nelson quotes). [ESPN]
• With another loss, now to the Kraken, the Leafs are making their trade deadline destiny clearer by the day. [Sportsnet | TSN] The TSN version is a league roundup that also mentions a long list of teams interested in Artemi Panarin.
• Rangers legend Patrick Kane passed Mike Modano for all-time scorers among Americans (and the Wings emptied the bench to celebrate…a secondary assist…kind of anticlimactic.) [NHL]
• It was not your imagination: January set a new record for hat tricks in a month, as the league parties like it’s 1985 (albeit with 11 more teams). [Sportsnet]
• Jack Hughes left with an injury again, but this time it’s just a “tweak.” [Sportsnet | TSN]

This was an insane sequence: Macklin Celebrini took a stick-lift right by his face, so he flinched but did not “sell” a call and even tried to change the officials’ minds:

In situations like this… how the hell are they not overturning the call.

There should be VAR in hockey soon. pic.twitter.com/2o2V29TRm3

— HFTV (@HFTVSports) January 30, 2026

Source: https://www.lighthousehockey.com/is.../islanders-news-darche-schaefer-rangers-swept

 

[New York Islanders]

Islanders 5, Rangers 2: Total domination in Palat, Soucy’s debut

It was a fun one to start the home-and-home as the New York Islanders beat the New York Rangers 5-2 in a game they dominated from the start.

While the Islanders added two players in Palat and Soucy leading up to this Olympic break trade freeze, the Rangers have put Artemi Panarin on the trade block as they go all in on their official letter-based proclamation retool. Panarin was held out of the game, and will also be out of tomorrow’s if he isn’t traded by then.

But the Islanders took advantage of the struggling Rangers and put on a show for the home fans, with Ondrej Palat picking up first star honors in his debut (with his PP goal and a secondary assist, while Simon Holmstrom, Mat Barzal (also on the power play), JG Pageau, and Emil Heineman scored the other four goals.

This score could’ve been more lopsided, as the Isles hit a few posts throughout the night, but fans will be leaving UBS Arena happy with the big win tonight.

[NHL Gamecenter | Game Summary | Event Summary | Natural Stat Trick]

It was all Islanders tonight, though despite leading in shots and shot attempts the Isles couldn’t get anything past Spencer Martin early.

There was some typical Isles vs Rangers roughness, as Vincent Trocheck tripped into David Rittich and got an extra shove or two from former teammate and new Islander Carson Soucy, along with Matthew Schaefer crushing Brennan Othmann along the boards by the bench.

Alexis Lafreniere was called for slashing Mat Barzal and breaking his stick (although his stick kind of looked like it broke moments before the slash). The refs might have realized this, as they then called Bo Horvat for interference just nine seconds later, after he flipped Mika Zibanejad’s stick out of his hands and over the glass to send us to some 4 on 4 hockey.

But then Simon Holmstrom drew a slashing penalty on Trocheck, giving the Islanders a 4 on 3. Will Cuylle nearly set up JT Miller shorthanded, but Miller couldn’t handle the puck.

Newcomer Ondrej Palat then picked up the power play goal, with Holmstrom and Schaefer grabbing the assists.

View Link

Tony DeAngelo set up Holmstrom back door to make it 2-0 just a little over a minute later.

View Link

Jonathan Drouin took a bad high sticking penalty, but fortunately didn’t draw anything more than just the two minute minor. David Rittich made a couple of great saves, but then Miller set up Zibanejad to make it 2-1.

Casey Cizikas went in to the boards hard early in the second, and while falling, took a knee from Matt Rempe to the back. A crowd came together after that, but no penalties were given, and Cizikas skated back to the bench and seemed to be okay.

Then, the Islanders drew three(!!) penalties in the same shift – two for Sam Carrick (tripping and crosschecking) and one for Rempe (boarding), giving them a full two minute 5 on 3 power play along with an extended 6 on 5.

Emil Heineman put a shot off the post, and the Islanders had some good chances, but not a lot of net front presence to really make it difficult for Martin and the Rangers.

But with 30 seconds left on the regular 5 on 4, Barzal scored to make it 3-1 off a great pass from Holmstrom, who picked up his second PP assist of the night.

View Link

Just 47 seconds later, JG Pageau scored his 11th of the season to make it 4-1, sticking with the loose puck after Marc Gatcomb’s shot was stopped by Martin.

View Link

A bit over a minute later, Taylor Raddysh got one back for the Rangers, but with 46.6 seconds left in the period, Heineman ripped the puck past Martin to make it 5-2, restoring the three goal lead for the Islanders.

View Link

In the third, Jonathan Drouin had a chance on goal, but it was deflected by Braden Schneider.

Horvat took a tripping penalty, and Pageau and Holmstrom couldn’t connect on a shorthanded chance, but the Isles killed the penalty.

DeAngelo hit the post, adding to the near-misses for the Isles tonight. But the Islanders would close out the game 5-2, picking up their third win against the Rangers this season.

Up Next​

Next, the Islanders make the very long trek to Madison Square Garden to take on the Rangers tomorrow. That’ll likely be the big Sorokin vs Shesterkin showdown, and we’ll see if the Islanders can make it a perfect 4-0 against the Rangers this season.

Source: https://www.lighthousehockey.com/ga...s-rangers-palat-soucy-barzal-holmstrom-pageau

 

[New York Islanders]

Islanders Gameday: Cizikas back, Ritchie shelved, Schaefer booms

Defeat the mustard. | NHLI via Getty Images

Ilya Sorokin will start again tonight as the Islanders host Barry’s Predators.

After starting what looked like another lost, tankable season, Nashville has rebounded a bit and is in shouting distance of the Western playoff wild card slots. But the odds are still slim and the question persists of whether they should dump assets like Ryan O’Reilly (still very useful) and Steven Stamkos (streaky, big-contract-laden) if they can.

Tonight is the return match of the opener from that big ol’ Western road trip, where the Isles fell annoyingly in a shootout.

First Islanders Goal picks go here.

Islanders News​

• Preview before the preview: Mostly stats from the past week plus Predators notes. [Isles]
• Morning preview: Casey Cizikas will return from illness, likely pushing Max Shabanov back out and they hope adding energy that was missing in the second half of the sweep of the Rangers. Also: Calum Ritchie will not return before the Olympic break. [Isles]
• (Yester)day in Isles history: Bo Horvat acquired. [Isles]
• On Matthew Schaefer calling into WFAN to banter with Rangers grouch Boomer Esiason: [Newsday] Full audio in this reddidit thread. Gross: Schaefer still the talk of the town.

The most striking thing to me right now is Schaefer is so damn lovable that he adds fun to the rivalry but also takes some of the bite out of it, at this point. Like, the way he approaches it in a familial way makes it feel a little less vicious and kind of turns a mirror to the absurdity of us getting overly worked up about it. (This feeling will change with the first dirty hit or important meeting, if the latter ever happens again.)

Elsewhere​

Just one game in the league last night, for some reason (after 15 Thursday and before 14 today). Columbus doubled the Blackhawks.

• Nikita Tolopilo was denied a shutout due to the weird rule for that and a concussion spotter. [TSN]
• Kris Letang will be out four weeks for the Penguins, good timing with the Olympics. [NHL]
• And Jack Hughes is still being evaluated after his latest malady. [NHL]
• But Linus Ullmark is set to return for the Senators. [Sportsnet]
• Bourne: Could the Leafs plummet so well that they keep the top-five-protected pick they sent to the Bruins last year? [Sportsnet]

Source: https://www.lighthousehockey.com/is...ers-predators-cizikas-ritchie-schaefer-boomer

 

[New York Islanders]

Predators 4, Islanders 3: Nothing gained

Give the man some help. | Getty Images

The Islanders lost a frustrating game in regulation to the Nashville Predators, one they didn’t really deserve anything from, though the circumstances were still frustrating.

They blew an early 2-0 lead after looking pretty good in the first 10 minutes of the game, then were completely discombobulated the rest of the way, relying on Ilya Sorokin to keep them in it. Even with that, they also lost a 3-2 lead, had a goal overturned (and their coach’s challenge denied) for goalie interference on Anthony Duclair outside the crease, and gave up the game winner with just 1:14 left to play while the teams were at 4-on-4 following another head-scratching official’s ruling.

All that said, they’d have been lucky to get one point from this game and the 4-3 loss was warranted. You could argue they should’ve lost by much more — the Predators had a UBS record 22 shots in the second period alone — if only to make crystal clear they can’t get away with playing like this against non-Rangers-level foes.

[NHL Gamecenter | Game Summary | Event Summary | Natural Stat Trick]

To think, it all started out like it might be a fun night. Mathew Barzal and Anthony Duclair were buzzing on their first shift and got the Isles on the board at 1:29 as Barzal batted a bouncing puck in at the back door.

Matthew Schaefer double the lead four minutes later when Ryan Pulock handled a difficult pass from Barzal but stumbled with it just long enough to draw the opposite side winger toward him. That left Schaefer wide open for a feed, and the 18-year-0ld drove down the left wing faceoff circle and picked his spot on Juuse Saros for his 15th(!) goal.

But the lead didn’t last, and once again the Isles special teams could not reverse the tide. Nashville got on the board at the midway point just six seconds after Adam Pelech went into the box for tripping, and the Preds added a tying goal three minutes later. As the Predators continued to push, the Isles looked lucky to escape the period tied.

Even moreso in the second, when J-G Pageau got them a brief lead scoring against the flow of play. He drove the slot and made a pass attempt for Anders Lee, who had fed him first. The pass was blocked, but it still sent all of the Predators, including Saros, the wrong way while Pageau picked up the rebound and slid it in.

Filip Forsberg tied it at 3-3 seven minutes later, and miraculously that was how things would stay until Roman Josi’s late dagger.

The Goalie Interference(?)​

Patrick Roy, the veteran of 19 NHL sesons and 1,029 games, clearly doesn’t understand what counts a goalie interference in this league…and neither does anyone else. The officials aggressively called this one off rather than waiting for a Nashville challenge (Saros’ dramatic glove toss may have helped), so it was left for the Isles to challenge and note some things that we have heard are important: 1) Duclair wasn’t in the crease, 2) Saros initiated contact, with his teammate helping keep Duclair there, 3) Not even sure if that contact was what prevented Saros — who seemed more intent in coming out to push Duclair — from making a play on a shot from the other side.

New York loses their challenge on this play. Duclair interfered with Saros & prohibited him from making a save. pic.twitter.com/UVK5cJwx9U

— Nick Kieser (@KieserNick) February 1, 2026

But whatever. I’m kind of glad it happened in a game the Isles seemed intent to lose anyway. You can argue from the scoreboard that it cost them the game, but they still killed the ensuing penalty off and they were sabotaging themselves throughout, they would’ve still found a way to lose.

Roy said Saros deserved an Oscar for throwing blocker on goalie interference

— Andrew Gross (@AGrossNewsday) February 1, 2026

This and That​

• With the Isles under a barrage and unable to connect passes, Roy had his line blender out and was trying all kinds of combos. Nothing seemed to right the ship.
• Casey Cizikas did return to the lineup but Max Shabanov stayed in, replacing Jonathan Drouin who was officially listed as sick.
• Is there any more pure joy on Bossy’s green earth than 18-year-old Matthew Schaefer celebrating a goal?

What a goal from the kid!

Matthew Schaefer nets his 15th goal of the season! pic.twitter.com/MHae9JoTs6

— NHL (@NHL) February 1, 2026

Up Next​

Can’t help thinking this one was a costly loss. Nashville is beatable, while the Penguins, Capitals, Blue Jackets and Canadiens all won tonight.

The Isles’ remaining schedule includes the back-to-back of Monday night in Washington and Tuesday back home vs. the Penguins, before they finish the pre-Olympic stretch Thursday in New Jersey.

Source: https://www.lighthousehockey.com/ga...tors-vs-islanders-recap-schaefer-interference

 

[New York Islanders]

Islanders Anxiety – Episode 359 – An Ensemble of Situations

Mike and Dan look back at a packed week of trades, wins, a season sweep and one terrible loss that makes an already daunting upcoming week for the Islanders even more scary.

For five days last week, Islanders fans were feeling good. Three wins, two over the Rangers in a humiliating season sweep complete with chirps from a goofball kid who’s already a star, and trades for Carson Soucy and Ondrej Palat that, while open to criticism, have yielded good early results. Then Saturday happened, when the Islanders played a sloppy, maddening game against the Nashville Predators at home and took a giant step back after three steps forward. It was the last thing we wanted to see with a huge slate coming up and an Olympic break looming that will put us all in stasis for three weeks.

We look back at all of last week’s games and ahead to games against the Capitals, Penguins and Devils to close out the pre-Olympic schedule. One against a team directly behind you, one against a team directly in front of you and one that should be easy on paper but might end up being necessary. It’s a massive week that will tell us a lot about how the trade deadline might shape up. Of course, we said that before this week, too…

Finally we look at an article that ranked NHL arena experiences and at UBS Arena’s fair placement. It’s a great venue with one huge issue keeping it from the league’s upper echelon.

Be sure to count the times Dan says he wants to talk about something and then just never does. This might be an all time record.

REFERENCES

• Some reading about the trades for handsome family man Carson Soucy and unloved Devil Ondrej Palat
• Pierre LeBrun called the Palat move, “tidy,” the highest praise anyone can bestow upon an NHL transaction.
• Mathieu Darche had more to say about the trades (some of it funny) to Frankly Hockey.
• Alan Fuehring doesn’t want Matthew Schaefer to put him out of business.
• Here are The Athletic’s NHL Arena Rankings. UBS Arena’s placement seems fair.

---

Subscribe to our Patreon! Members get ad-free episodes of all our shows, bonus podcasts, written posts, discounts and much more. Or follow us for free to get announcements and our weekly release calendar. Try a free 7-Day trial of our Country Club tier to sample what we offer.

---

PLUGS!​

• Vintage Ice Hockey for t-shirts, hoodies and jerseys with hundreds of classic hockey logos, as well as the full line of Islanders Anxiety merch. As always our portion of those sales go directly to the Center for Dementia Research.
• The Pinot Project has a Rosé, a Pinot Grigio and a Wine Enthusiast Best Buy Pinot Noir, all under $15 a bottle. Available at local wine stores and UBS Arena.
• Visit Lighthousehockey.com for the most up-to-date Islanders news and discussion.
• Islanders Anxiety podcasts are part of the Fans First Sports Network (@FansFirstSN).

Theme song: “Morning Haze” by Family Dinner. Hear more of their music on Spotify.

---

Please subscribe, download, rate, review or spread the word about Islanders Anxiety, Weird Islanders: The Podcast! and all of our podcasts any way you can. All of it helps to raise the show’s profile and maybe could get us another fancy sponsor to sell out to in the near future. Leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

All Islanders Anxiety podcasts are available on:

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• Amazon Music
• Audible.com
• I Heart Radio
• YouTube and YouTube Music
• And everywhere podcasts are found

Source: https://www.lighthousehockey.com/is...y-palat-trade-rangers-sweep-ubs-arena-ranking

 

[New York Islanders]

Capitals 4 (EN), Islanders 1: Four unanswered goals sink Isles in DC

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 02: Capitals right wing Tom Wilson (43) and Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield (24) fight during the New York Islanders versus Washington Capitals National Hockey League game on February 2, 2026 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.. (Photo by Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Third-string rookie goalie? No problem… for the Capitals. Clay Stevenson played just his second game this year, and while he didn’t get his first career shutout, he turned away 29 of 30 shots by the Islanders.

Bo Horvat still looks a bit rusty after missing some time due to injury; he had a lot of chances tonight but just was off the mark each time. Hopefully he’ll get on the board soon, since the power play could really use his shot.

It wasn’t a bad effort by the Islanders, but struggling to score more than one goal against this guy just isn’t going to cut it for a team that has some level of playoff ambitions.

[NHL Gamecenter | Game Summary | Event Summary | Natural Stat Trick]

Early, David Rittich made a save on Ryan Leonard and took some extra contact and went down. Nic Dowd was called for slashing Rittich, sending the Islanders to the power play. That power play was not great, despite Patrick Roy putting Mat Barzal, Bo Horvat, and Matthew Schaefer back together on PP1.

Schaefer took a holding penalty, and Horvat missed a shorthanded breakaway backhand, but the Islanders killed the penalty.

Rittich saved an Anthony Beauvillier breakaway, and then the Capitals gave the puck away to Barzal in the slot, and he made it 1-0 with his 15th of the season.

View Link

Ondrej Palat drew a slashing penalty on Tom Wilson with 19 seconds left in the period, and the Caps killed it in the second period. Palat, on PP1, nearly gave the puck away to Aliaksei Protas, but he couldn’t catch up to it.

Then, Martin Fehervary scored to tie the game, and just 30 seconds later, Beauvillier made it 2-1 quickly, two fairly soft goals given up by Rittich.

Bo Horvat shot wide on a breakaway chance and Simon Holmstrom hit the outside of the post, on the best opportunities to tie the game after the quick Capitals lead.

David Rittich made big saves on Wilson and Jakob Chychrun, and then Wilson laid a big open ice hit on Holmstrom, which got Scott Mayfield’s attention. Mayfield and Wilson fought, and Mayfield picked up an extra two minutes for “roughing” that seemed like a pseudo-instigator penalty even though Wilson was the one who dropped the gloves first after Mayfield came up to him.

Casey Cizikas had a good shorthanded chance on the kill, but with 10 seconds left, Carson Soucy took a high sticking penalty, giving the Capitals some 5 on 3 time and another power play.

After some dangerous moments, the Islanders killed both Mayfield and Soucy’s penalties. Any chance of a comeback seemed to deflate, though, when a Dowd pass bounced off Tony DeAngelo and past Rittich to make it 3-1.

Rittich was pulled for an extra skater with 5 minutes left, but John Carlson scored the empty netter with 2:25 left, giving the Capitals a 4-1 win.

Up Next​

Tomorrow, the Islanders head back to UBS Arena to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins, who currently occupy the second seed in the Metro Division, two points ahead of the Islanders. Feels like a big one for the season as we approach the Olympic break!

Source: https://www.lighthousehockey.com/ga...-rittich-stevenson-fehervary-beauvillier-dowd

 

[New York Islanders]

Islanders Gameday News: Back home vs. Penguins

Let’s see some of this, ok? | Getty Images

The Islanders did not get the job done in D.C., they did not claim any points vs. the Capitals, so they’ll aim for redemption tonight back home against the Penguins.

Helpfully, Pittsburgh lost last night in regulation on a late Claude Giroux goal, so their standings edge above the Isles remains two points, though with two games in hand. Their loss to the Senators ended a six-game win streak, which is just kind of in keeping with how all these mid-level Eastern teams keep streaking up and down. (Except Buffalo, which streaked downward, then up, up, up and shows zero sign of stopping.)

Tonight’s First Islanders Goal picks go here.

Islanders News​

• About last night: Not a terrible effort, but one goal against the third-string goalie and continued power play inertia won’t get it done. [LHH | Newsday | Post | THN | Isles]
• Patrick Roy reunited Mat Barzal and Bo Horvat on a line in hopes of sparking both (and fulfilling the prophecy of Ondrej Palat, First Liner). But the real spark was Tom Wilson’s sweet pass to Barzal, amirite? Jonathan Drouin returned, at center between the Swedes. [Newsday | Isles]
• Previewing tonight: Ilya Sorokin gets the start, of course. [Isles]

Elsewhere​

Interesting results around the league last night, as the Predators became the fourth team to reverse a four-goal deficit and win this season, and the Sabres won again to hand the back-to-back Cup champs their fourth straight loss.

• Barry Trotz announced that he will step down as GM in Nashville whenever they secure a replacement. His contract goes through 2026-27 (he’ll switch to “advising”), but they’ll start the search now. [NHL | CP]
• Enjoy the many names on the Real Kyper Trade Board. [Sportsnet]
• Oilers players love the now-waived Calvin Pickard and hope he gets a chance to return to the team. [Sportsnet]
• Many “snubbed” non-Olympians have gone on points-scoring tears, but that may be as much about removing the distractions as it is about trying to prove those evil national team execs wrong. [ESPN]
• Filip Chytil, who’s had just a brutal concussion history, left Vancouver’s game vs. the Mammoth for undisclosed reasons. [Sportsnet]
• Terrible tragedy: Three Albert junior players are mourned after dying in a car crash. [Sportsnet]

Source: https://www.lighthousehockey.com/is...nders-gameday-capitals-recap-penguins-preview

 

[New York Islanders]

Islanders Gameday: Metro back-to-back

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 31: Anders Lee #27 of the New York Islanders watches his shot in front of Matt Roy #3 and Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals during the third period of the game at Capital One Arena on October 31, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Islanders enter a pretty significant back-to-back with a match vs. the Capitals tonight in D.C. followed by tomorrow night at home to the Penguins. The Capitals are just four points behind the Isles and can narrow that gap tonight, though they’ve played one more game. The Penguins currently sit two points above the Islanders but have two games in hand.

The Penguins also are in action tonight, home vs. the Senators, so at least both teams will be traveling before tomorrow’s encounter.

For tonight’s encounter, both teams have miserable power plays, so at least that — aww, hell, you know that’ll be what costs them.

First Islanders Goal picks for tonight go here.

Islanders News​

• It’s kind of a case of the less said about Saturday’s loss to the Predators, the better. But here are recaps: LHH | Newsday | Isles | Post
• And here’s The Skinny: “The Isles are 6-29 on the power play in the last eight games and have allowed a power play goal in three straight game, killing only 4-7 in that span.” [Isles]
• Islanders Anxiety: Dan and Mike discuss the week behind and the week(s) ahead. [LHH]
• Gross: The power play is still broken. [Newsday]
• Ryan Pulock credits Barry Trotz with establishing the right mindset for this Isles core. [Newsday]

Elsewhere​

Yesterday’s schedule was light, highlighted by the stadium series meeting in Tampa, where the Lightning came back from four goals down to win via shootout. Narrative: Lightning spurred on to rally by a goalie fight!

STADIUM SERIES GOALIE FIGHT pic.twitter.com/ntCWlmmr25

— ESPN (@espn) February 2, 2026

• Lots of potential injuries to monitor heading into the Olympics. [NHL]
• Wow: $90 for event parking in Seattle. [Sportsnet]
• Asking Mike Sullivan about his old team, after they swapped coaches (and later, that team beat his Rangers yet again). [Post]
• As the Oilers waive Calvin Pickard, Tristan Jarry is still not proving to be what they needed. But at least he’s blaming the defense for his troubles. [Sportsnet]
• The Leafs’ “emptied the tank” to beat the 32nd-place Canucks. [Sportsnet]

Source: https://www.lighthousehockey.com/is...81/islanders-gameday-capitals-power-play-woes

 

[New York Islanders]

Islanders 5, Penguins 4 (OT): Horvat, Barzal find their groove

Bo knows OT. | NHLI via Getty Images

The New York Islanders pulled out a late equalizer and 5-4 overtime win in an intense, back-and-forth meeting with the Pittsburgh Penguins that highlighted how we have Ilya Sorokin and they have Replacement Jarry.

True, Sorokin allowed at least one goal he would want back, when Bryan Rust banked a shot in off his glove from below the goal line to make it 3-2 in the second period, but he faced more shots (35-23) and stopped more nailbiters while Stuart Skinner offered holes the Islanders gratefully found.

[NHL Gamecenter | Game Summary | Event Summary | Natural Stat Trick]

That applies to Bo Horvat’s late first period goal, when Skinner bobbled a glove save and Horvat pounced on the loose puck with Skinner unawares (to be fair, it took an odd carom in between). It also applies to noted cannon-launcher Mat Barzal’s one-timer from the point to tie it at 3-3 and Ryan Pulock’s snap shot from the slot to tie it at 4-4 with 4:36 left in regulation.

RYAN PULOCK TIES IT FOR THE @NYISLANDERS!

IT'S 4-4 WITH LESS THAN FIVE IN THE THIRD

: @NHL_On_TNT & @StreamOnMax https://t.co/4TuyIATi3T pic.twitter.com/Ij7LFVR9Ot

— NHL (@NHL) February 4, 2026

Horvat finished things off on an overtime breakaway, snapping a shot past Skinner right as the wobbling, rolling puck finally settled down.

LATE ADD: Here’s Horvat, mic’d up for his encounter with a bird during play.

Bo Horvat was mic’d up for the Bird Goal in the 1st period.

It’s incredible. pic.twitter.com/TqY0x6PTPw

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) February 4, 2026

Notes​

• It was a competitive game throughout, but felt too tilted Pittsburgh’s way for comfort. As has often been the case this season, Islanders goaltending provided an important difference, just enough cover to keep them in the game.
• There Barzal Offensive Zone Orbits aplenty, but his rushes and breakouts were also key to several goals, including his own. Made a nice chip to send Horvat on the breakaway for the OT winner, too.
• Matthew Schaefer continued his “moah than Bahbby Aahh” season with his 16th goal of the season, and 23rd assist on the winner.
• Was that a power play goal? No. No, the Isles did not score on the power play. 0 for 2.
• Gotta be huge for Horvat to put a couple in; he’s had some breakaways since coming back from injury, so finishing one will help make him feel whole going to Italy.
• Damn, Patrick Roy is cold and hard-ass with Anthony Duclair. Benched him after four shifts, 3:04 TOI. Per Andrew Gross, “Roy said this was a ‘big game’ and he didn’t like Duclair’s defensive tracking. But he said Duclair will be OK.” Duclair got back as the third man on Anthony Mantha’s goal, but he was covering no one. So I definitely get it, especially if this is a discussion they’ve had before.
• After the Isles tied it up yet again at 4-4, the Penguins thought they had another go-ahead goal, but Ben Kindel clearly was kicking Sorokin’s pad and then continuing to drive him into the net, so even by current random standards that was pretty obvious goalie interference. Took the refs long enough to review it though.

Sidney Crosby had a bout of Vintage Crosby Whiner when he tripped Simon Holmstrom as the Isles winger carried the puck out of the zone in the third period. It was special edition, since Crosby pre-whined, stopping and making a diving gesture as play carried on before a penalty was called…oh, by the way, no penalty was called. So it was fun to see Crosby continue to whine after he went to the bench, a display reminiscent of his early Entitlement Years in the league. It was one of those occasion where it didn’t take much to cause Holmstrom to fall — skating fast on edges can be like that — but it wasn’t a dive. I didn’t see Crosby’s reaction to his trip of Barzal, also in the third, but I’m sure it was totally dignified.

Second-Best Moment of the Night​

Schaefer with the laser, after the Isles make a big push as the clock wound down in the first, making two goals in 1:15:

Matthew Schaefer:

Laser and tongue’s out celly! pic.twitter.com/BTdOfCvP4l

— Rob Taub (@RTaub_) February 4, 2026

Best Moment of the Night​

Gotta be the Horvat winner. Schaefer breaks up the play, Barzal pitches it forward, Horvat keeps the wobbling puck moving forward and is able to snap it just in time:

BO HORVAT! GINORMOUS WIN! 6-0 in OT this year! pic.twitter.com/UiocXfp9dV

— Rob Taub (@RTaub_) February 4, 2026

Up Next​

Damn, the Isles needed those two points. It was not looking promising at several moments there. Unfortunate that they let the Penguins get a point, too, but it sure beats zero and two.

They finish the pre-Olympics stretch with a visit to the struggling Devils on Thursday.

Source: https://www.lighthousehockey.com/game-recaps/44020/islanders-vs-penguins-bo-horvat-barzal-schaefer

 

[Zedster]

That OT win against the Penguins was exactly what the Islanders needed after that frustrating loss in Washington. Horvat finally burying one of those breakaways has to feel good, especially heading into the Olympic break. The guy's been snakebitten since coming back from injury, so getting that winner should do wonders for his confidence.

Sorokin continuing to be the difference maker is both reassuring and a little concerning at the same time, you know? Great that he's there to bail them out, but relying on your goalie to face 35+ shots and keep you in games isn't exactly a sustainable playoff formula.

The power play situation is rough though. Going 0-2 against Pittsburgh after already struggling just compounds the issue. When you're in a tight Metro race like this, those extra goals matter. Hopefully the Olympic break gives Roy and the staff some time to figure out what's not clicking there.

Schaefer's been fun to watch this year. Kid's got a cannon and clearly isn't intimidated by the moment. Sixteen goals from a defenseman is no joke.

The Devils game Thursday feels like a trap game on paper given how they've been playing, but the Isles really need to stack points before everyone goes to Italy. Should be interesting to see if they can carry any momentum from that comeback.

 

[New York Islanders]

Islanders vs. Devils Gameday News: Olympics Eve

Send us to the break happy, okay? | NHLI via Getty Images

I don’t know nor care when the Olympics actually start (the men’s hockey games start in six days), but for our NHL-centric purposes they start tomorrow. Or rather, today is the last day before a long, cold break in the schedule, when we’ll just hope Bo Horvat and Ondrej Palat stay healthy while we hear inside stories trickle out about just how bad the ice arena in Italy is.

Tonight, the Isles have one more chance to add points to the ledger before the break, after which 24 games will remain in their playoff push. They visit the Devils, who are 11 points south of the wild card and just acquired Nick Bjugstad for some reason. (Watch, he’ll score tonight. You know he will.)

First Islanders Goal Picks go here.

Islanders News​

• Now our sweet 18-year-old wunderkind gets a brief profile in the New Yorker, with a cameo from landlord and wrestling foe Matt Martin. [New Yorker]
• Previewing tonight: Could the Isles sweep both local rivals? [Isles]
• Gross: There is no room for excuses tonight. [Newsday]
• I completely forgot this by game’s end, but here’s more on Bo Horvat’s bird encounter shortly before setting up Matthew Schaefer’s goal against the Penguins. [Athletic]
• Italy-bound Horvat’s return to the goal column came just in time. [Post]
• Prospect Report: Lots of prospects racking up points, including one via prospect-on-prospect crime. [Isles]

Elsewhere​

• Artemi Panarin has been traded to the Kings for…things. He also signed a short-term, $11M AAV extension. [ESPN | NHL]
• The Devils took Bjugstad from the Blues in exchange for an AHL bubble guy and a 4th-round pick. [TSN]
• Drama in Philadelphia over ice time for Matvei Michkov, Rick Tocchet’s blaming his conditioning, and even fans planning a coordinated “Fire Tocchet” chant. [Reddit | Twitter]
• Presumed top ick Gavin McKenna is charged with felony assault for allegedly breaking a person’s jaw in a fight. Not the college experience his handlers were hoping for! [ABC27]
• The Oilers are stinking it up again and they know they have to get going if they want the honor of losing in the Cup final again, while Tristan Jarry admits that he is Tristan Jarry. [Sportsnet]
• Bourne: 10 questions heading into the break, like how the disparity in representatives will affect how teams (and healthy players) come out of the break. [Sportsnet]
• Caleb Jones messed up with some “outside” injury treatment, gets a 20-game drug violation suspension. [TSN]

Source: https://www.lighthousehockey.com/is...islanders-vs-devils-gameday-news-olympics-eve

 

[New York Islanders]

Islanders 3 (EN), Devils 1: Horvat comes up clutch again

NEWARK, NJ - FEBRUARY 05: Bo Horvat #14 of the New York Islanders celebrates after scoring during the third period of the game against the New Jersey Devils on February 5, 2026 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Rich Graessle/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images

Up until a little over 16 minutes into the third, this recap had a very different vibe. The Islanders did only register 14 shots on goal, apparently tying their lowest ever against the New Jersey Devils, last done in 2004. Ilya Sorokin needed to put in a Vezina-level (and frankly, Hart-level) performance to keep the Islanders in the game. The fourth line was really the only consistent line tonight, which is never great. And Jonathan Drouin made a terrible turnover that created a clean breakaway that only luckily wasn’t in the back of our net, yet for some reason didn’t get stapled to the bench like Mat Barzal and Anthony Duclair.

But then, Bo Horvat.

For the second game in a row, Horvat came up clutch, picking up the game-winning goal out of nowhere. And Mat Barzal will be taking a four game goal streak into the Olympic break, putting him just six goals away from tying his career high of 23 in a season.

The Islanders sit in second place in the Metropolitan Division and they’ll stay there at least until the season resumes on February 26th, after the Olympic break.

[NHL Gamecenter | Game Summary | Event Summary | Natural Stat Trick]

Early on, Emil Heineman had a great chance, putting the puck behind Jake Allen, but across the crease rather than in the net.

Timo Meier took a high sticking penalty, but the Devils killed an inept Islanders power play.

Dawson Mercer had a breakaway after a bad Jonathan Drouin turnover, and his backhand shot went off the post.

The fourth line played well all night and got rewarded when Casey Cizikas got the Islanders on the board 6:30 into the second period, with both Kyle MacLean and Marc Gatcomb picking up the assists.

View Link

But then, MacLean took a high sticking penalty, which the Islanders killed largely thanks to Ilya Sorokin. Sorokin was incredible this period, although he got a little bit of help when Adam Pelech made a huge block with his right skate to save a sure goal. Following that, Sorokin made a big save on Dougie Hamilton to keep the Isles’ one goal lead.

Evgenii Dadanov couldn’t get a chance across the goal line for the Devils, but the Islanders got caught in a change after clearing the puck, and Nico Hischier tied the game.

With just a few seconds left in the second, Anders Lee got hit by a Simon Holmstrom shot, and Lee skated off the ice slowly and had to be helped by the training staff down the tunnel at the end of the period. He did return at the start of the third, though.

Sorokin made a save on Connor Brown after a bad pass from Carson Soucy, MacLean had a shot saved by Allen, and Tony DeAngelo had a solid shift where he made a great pass to Heineman in the slot who hit the glass with his shot, and a great pass to Gatcomb who had his shot saved by Allen.

The Islanders had some solid looks, with Ondrej Palat having a shot saved against his former team, and Lee setting up Holmstrom only to have that chance saved by Allen, too.

But then, our hero, the Olympian, the rally bird man himself, Bo Horvat, scored with 3:27 left off the faceoff, picking up the puck behind Hischier and driving to the net to make it 2-1. That goal was Horvat’s 600th NHL point and 24th goal of the season.

View Link

The Devils pulled Allen a minute later, and Sorokin had to make a big save as the Islanders essentially defended 6 on 4 when Cizikas broke his stick. But Mat Barzal would extend his goal streak to 4 games, shooting the puck into the empty net as the Isles picked up a massive win heading into the Olympic break.

View Link

Up Next​

Next, it’ll be a while before we see more Islanders hockey, when the season resumes for the Isles in Montreal on February 26th. Hopefully everyone will be back well-rested and healthy, especially the latter for our Olympians!

Source: https://www.lighthousehockey.com/game-recaps/44044/islanders-vs-devils-horvat-sorokin-cizikas-barzal

 

[Zedster]

Nice way to head into the break. Horvat coming up clutch two games in a row is exactly what you want to see from your alternate captain, especially with him heading to Italy. That 600th career point being a game-winner feels fitting.

Sorokin was the story though. Fourteen shots on goal is not going to cut it most nights, and without him standing on his head this could have been an ugly loss heading into the layoff. Pelech's block was huge too, but man, Sorokin bailed them out repeatedly.

The Cizikas line deserving the opening goal felt right given how they played. Fourth line doing the heavy lifting offensively is a bit backwards, but credit where it's due.

Barzal quietly putting together a four-game goal streak heading into the break is encouraging. Six away from his career high with 24 games left is definitely doable if he keeps this up.

Second place in the Metro going into the Olympic break is a solid position to be in. Hopefully the rest helps more than it hurts, and everyone comes back healthy. The Horvat and Palat injury watch during the tournament is going to be stressful.

 

[New York Islanders]

Weird Islanders: The Podcast! – Episode 80 – Dick Tarnstrom (with guest Dan Hopper)

Along with “Thrill of Defeat” host and Pittsburgh guy Dan Hopper, we remember Dick Tarnstrom, who turned getting waived by the Islanders into a starring role on some bad transitional Penguins teams.

While the Penguins have had some all time great players in their history, the periods between those players were pretty dire. Bankruptcies, empty buildings and lots of losses were not uncommon for one of the NHL’s now-marquee teams. Into one of these eras stepped Dick Tarnstrom, a very late round pick of the Islanders who found himself squeezed out of Long Island during one of their rare fertile periods of the early 2000’s and onto a Penguins team desperate for anyone who could put the puck into a net. Tarnstrom was competent on a bereft squad, which means he got comparisons to Hall of Famers, and Hart and Norris Trophy votes from the win-starved writers covering it. The Penguins’ “X-Generation” might have featured a lot of weird players, but thanks to cheap tickets and EXTREME marketing, it actually succeeded in creating a new wave of fans. To those kids, guys like Dick Tarnstrom felt like superstars of tomorrow.

Dan takes us through the Full Tarnstrom Experience and tells us what it was like watching the Penguins between the Lemieux/Jagr and Crosby/Malkin eras. We learn about the “Ric and Dick Show,” attending Ryan Malone’s hockey camp as a kid, the Woodstock 99 flavor of the “X-Generation” ads and how Tarnstrom was able to capture hearts in the Steel City. We also wonder how we forgot he played for the Oilers during their 2006 Cup final run and why he was put on waivers in the first place (it probably had something to do with being Swedish and having Mike Milbury as a general manager). It’s the deepest dive you’ll find on the man who is surely the last “Dick” in NHL history.

Thanks again to Dan for coming on. His podcast, “Thrill of Defeat” is outstanding and if you’re a fan of Weird Islanders, it will be right up your alley. He’s on a bit of a hiatus now, but there are plenty of episodes to get started on.

WEIRD BONUS MATERIAL

• Tarnstrom didn’t score a ton of goals for the Islanders but one of them helped them forge a 6-6 tie (!) with the Panthers in February of 2002.
• Most people probably didn’t notice Tarnstrom getting picked up off waivers by the Penguins in August of 2002. But he started turning heads early that season (playing with Mario Lemieux might have helped). After a 41-point campaign, he would re-up with them in the summer of 2003 because, basically, they had to sign someone on defense. That investment would pay off in spades for them.
• Here’s Tarnstrom scoring for the Penguins (includes a couple of classic Mike Lange calls)

• This incredible article detailed the impact Tarnstrom had on the Penguins in the early rebuild stages. It would read like a satire if it didn’t really happen. Includes a cheap shot at the Islanders for good measure.
• After playing for the Oilers, on their 2006 Stanley Cup final team, and the Blue Jackets to disappointing results, Tarnstrom returned to his native Sweden and his original club, the Stockholm-based AIK in 2008. The team had been relegated to the SEL’s second division. But with Tarnstrom as captain, they made it back to the top tier in 2010 and went on a couple of long playoff runs.
• He was forced to retire in 2013 due to a herniated spinal disc. He’s currently the youth hockey manager for the Mälarhöjden/Bredäng Hockey or MB Hockey school. His son Oliver was drafted by the Rangers in 2020 but wasn’t signed and is currently playing in Sweden.

---

What makes a “Weird Islander?”

We’re always open to suggestions about other Weird Islanders to discuss. Remember the criteria. Candidates must fulfill one of the two of the following:

• Played one (1) season or less for the Islanders or very short stints over multiple seasons.
• Be a veteran NHLer who is not generally associated with his time on Islanders.

---

Subscribe to our Patreon! Members get ad-free episodes of all our shows, bonus podcasts, written posts, chats with us and much more.

---

Visit our friends!

• Vintage Ice Hockey for t-shirts, hoodies and jerseys featuring hundreds of classic hockey logos, as well as Islanders Anxiety merch, and our Al Arbour and The Island shirts. Our portion of the sales benefit the Center for Dementia Research. Use the code ANXIETY20 to save 20% off an order of two items.
• The Pinot Project has Rosé, Pinot Grigio and a Pinot Noir that was named a 2024 Top 100 Best Buy by Wine Enthusiast Magazine. All are under $15 a bottle and are available at local wine shops and at UBS Arena.
• Islanders Anxiety podcasts are part of the Fans First Sports Network (@FansFirstSN).
• Theme song: “Knuckles” by Björn Falk. Hear more of his music on Spotify and at Bandcamp.
• Drum sfx via Zapsplat.com. Jingle bell sfx also via ZapSplat.

---

Please subscribe, download, rate, review or spread the word about Islanders Anxiety, Weird Islanders: The Podcast! and all of our podcasts any way you can. All of it helps to raise the show’s profile and maybe could get us another fancy sponsor to sell out to in the near future. Leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

All Islanders Anxiety podcasts are available on:

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• Amazon Music
• Audible.com
• I Heart Radio
• YouTube and YouTube Music
• And everywhere podcasts are found

Source: https://www.lighthousehockey.com/ny...with-dan-hopper-thrill-of-defeat-x-generation

 

[New York Islanders]

Olympic Break News: Super Monday

Bo leaves for the break as a star. | NHLI via Getty Images

Ever since a couple of friends who most often hosted Super Bowl parties each relocated out of town, I’ve…discovered the sheer joy and found time that comes with not following the NFL. An intense, grueling season of Sundays to myself and my family culminates in Super Bowl Sunday, when I can go wherever I want and not another soul is around.

Yesterday I went hiking and continued reading The Wayfinder; last night I remembered I’ll have very little idea what people are talking about as they run through their small talk this morning. I used to feel obliged to pay attention to maintain that sort of pop culture literacy, but it was very freeing once I got over that.

This is not a self-help column nor a “you should do X” thing, just a transition as the NHL turns toward the Olympics this month and most humans get past the hoopla of the NFL trademarked championship game. I understand there were field goals and AI commercials.

As for us, the other global sports hype machine is now underway. For the men, Olympic hockey starts Wednesday with two games (Slovakia vs. Finland and Sweden vs. Italy). On the women’s side, things began last week already and there are four preliminary round games today, with both the U.S. and Canada in action.

Olympic Hockey News​

• The teams did their captaincy reveals, with little surprises. Sidney Crosby for Canada, Leafs captain Auston Matthews for the U.S., Gabriel Landeskog is good to go and will wear the C for Sweden. [NHL]
• Bill Daly also skipped the Super Bowl, but for a better reason: He’s headed to Milan. He discusses excitement for Olympic hockey, the talent on display, and how the NHL gets to provide more officials and George Parros as discipline czar. Gulp. [NHL]
• Jack Hughes couldn’t be there for his team as they were swept by the Islanders, but he’s good to go for Team America. [NHL]
• Mike Sullivan isn’t publicly naming his starting goalie yet. [Sportsnet]
• Pavel Zacha is still out, so he’ll miss the Olympics where he was going to play for the Czechs. [ESPN]
• 32 Thoughts: How Artemi Panarin decided on the Kings, plus random Olympic thoughts. [Sportsnet]
• Curtis Douglas was fined, and that’s all the supplementary discipline that came from the latest Panthers-Lightning brawl. [Sportsnet]

Islanders News​

• Breaking out of his slump, Bo Horvat receives a parting gift as NHL 2nd Star of the Week. [Isles]
• Victor Eklund discusses winning WJC gold with Sweden, “playing with men” and such. [Isles]
• Speaking of Swedes, Dick “no seriously, I’m Swedish” Tarnstrom is the latest Weird Islanders subject. He was waived and claimed by the Penguins, during one of their many dark, bottom-feeder eras that most of their fans pretend never happened. [LHH]
• Cal Ritchie made a surprise return just before the break and looked pretty good. [Post]
• They may end up gassed, but at least Bo Horvat and Ondrej Palat will stay in game shape by playing at the Olympics. [Newsday]
• Also: Three takeaways for the Isles at the break. [Newsday]

Good luck as you discuss that one commercial or that one play today.

Source: https://www.lighthousehockey.com/islanders-news-headlines/44054/olympic-break-news-super-monday