Islanders Preseason: 4-2 over Flames; Martin pounces, Roloson debuts

If a preseason game happens in Saskatoon and no one outside the rink gets to see it, does it make a sound?

Maybe. From highlights and accounts of the game (video after the jump; and if you were there, do leave us comments or a FanPost), Jon Sim continues to be the pre-knee injury Jon Sim the Islanders signed two years ago: Doing dirty work in front of the net and creating goals because of it. Dwayne Roloson sounded strong, including "several crucial saves" on a Flames 5-on-3 (Kevin Poulin also saw action again). Juniors graduate Matt Martin, with whom the Islanders played contract hardball until late in the summer, continues to appear in my dreams as a budding power forward.

Martin's two goals were technically easy: One was a wide-open net, the other was literally an empty net. But both came from smart positioning, the empty-netter coming off his smartly read interception at center ice.

Greg Moore scored. Scott Gordon called him a "pleasant surprise" before the game, which has me worried. Fights happened but were apparently unremarkable (Micheal Haley was cut by Brandon Prust, while Tim Jackman's fight is in the video). Nothing like the vengeance match that a "Slapshot" script would dictate. But as mentioned yesterday, these were two completely different teams, so that's little surprise.

Video, a note on tonight's game, and a link to another Islanders season preview is after the jump.

Official NHL video highlights of the game:

Meanwhile, no rest for the weary: After beating a quasi-roster of Flames last night in Saskatoon, the Islanders' Western Canada tour concludes tonight when they "host" Edmonton. We'll share lineups once they're available. One great resource for the Oilers side of things is SBN site Copper & Blue. There you'll find their wit plus links to the rest of the pioneering Oilers blogosphere.

And for further reading, Puck Daddy's preview of the Islanders is out; it is both correct and predictable (There's not much range for debate on where this team will finish this year.) Also check out Illegal Curve's season preview for the Islanders. Let 'em know what you think there or here. If you're not familiar, IC is a great site for daily news and views of the entire league. I say that because it's true -- and not just because David quoted me (and Ken from Islanders Outsider, and Islanders Blogger Paul, who weighs in across the Isles online world) in the IC preview.