Well, the New York Islanders officially launched another losing streak last night and now head to Montreal for a game Thursday, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't read colorful descriptions of Matt Martin's workout discipline.

• First, recaps from last night: Newsday | LHH | IPB | The Skinny notes it was DiPietro's first appearance against Ottawa since 2008.
• Matt Moulson has caught Denis Potvin for all-time Isles iron man streaks. Would need next October to catch Bobby Nystrom, and all the way to Brooklyn to catch record holder Billy Harris.
• Nino Niederreiter had his wisdom teeth pulled. However, it's believed his Swiss agent emailed a demand to transfer Nino to a different dentist.
  
• This article is about Zack Kassian's summer workouts, but the trainer provides some entertaining quotes about Matt Martin, a "genetic freak" made of "stone."
• I am really sympathetic to the concussion issue, but I must say I've watched this Hansen-Hossa play a bunch and see nothing wrong but an accident here. They were both reaching their hands up in the air for the puck, a rare and fairly unnatural move in hockey. Awkward result.
• A look at the options to replace Brian Strait [The Hockey Writers] [Newsday]
• Here's beatwriter Arthur Staple's Isles chat from yesterday. Lots of thoughts in there, lots of familiar questions.
  
• In Elliotte Friedman's 30 Thoughts, a rival GM compliments Garth Snow's "mastery of the salary floor."
• Botta on how the lockout sure hasn't hurt NHL business much.
• Weird: Ryan O'Reilly's dad on character and his son's contract situation. And character. Did i also mention Character? That too. Also, character.

Power rankings -- along with standings if the Bettman Point weren't worth half a regulation win -- will be up later this morning.