The first Islanders-Rangers game of the season is an early test for both teams. The Rangers have been spotty in back-to-back games and want to right themselves. The Islanders took care of business against a weak Carolina team and will need to be even better against a more talented opponent.
Islanders links:
- The funny part of the John Tavares quote highlighted here from this New$day story on the Islanders-Rangers rivalry isn't Tavares' quasi-trash talk. It's that big time Rangers fans suddenly become weak-kneed fanboys around the Islanders captain. "I said you suck, but I never expected to, like, actually meet you."
- Travis Hamonic will be featured on an episode of ESPN's E:60 on Wednesday and Neil Best gets the behind-the-scenes low down on Hamonic's personal tale and how the hell an Islander ended up on ESPN. [New$day]
- Before tonight's game, some adjustments on the penalty kill. Good. [Islanders Official]
- Fun (and little else) with small sample sizes [garik at Islanders Analytics]
- And more fun numbers from a productive opening weekend. [LHH]
- I'm not sure how we missed this but players including John Tavares talk advanced stats and the changing NHL landscape at the New York Times. And this short video from the Toronto Star has a little more of their thoughts. In short: good for GMs, but players still need to keep it old fashioned.
- Calvin de Haan is inching closer to a return, possibly as early as Thursday versus San Jose. [NY Post]
- More info on the fisherman jersey charity flashback coming later this season. [CBS NY]
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The Point Blank podcast talks fantasy hockey with NHL.com guru Pete Jensen.
- All aboard the Brock train. [Isles Nation]
- Eric Hornik gets philosophical on the Islanders' last season in Nassau by looking towards Hartford. [NYI Skinny]
- Raising sticks in celebrations of scoring a goal. Yup. The Islanders help popularize that, too. [Greatest Hockey Legends]
- A little equal time for tonight's opponent: Bob McKenzie with the story on Rangers forward Anthony Duclair. [TSN.ca]
- VIDEO: Sound Tiger Andrey Pedan knocks an IceCap for a loop. [Hockey Fights]
Elsewhere
- Last night's NHL scores. The Habs lost big and the Bruins lost at the last second.
- The 2016 Draft will be held in Buffalo. Add your own Sabres Lottery Pick Joke here. [SB Nation]
- Trevor Gillies was suspended for 12 games by the AHL for his ludicrous WWE-style actions last week. [The AHL | CT Post]. It's way past the time Gillies was allowed to play pro hockey [SB Nation]. And guys like Brian Burke need to stop employing players like Gilles [Matchsticks and Gasoline]
- What. Mike Milbury is against fighting now? Are we talking about the same Mike Milbury? [LA Daily News]
- The Flyers will practice in Atlantic City on Nov. 9 if you're in the area. [Broad Street Hockey]
- Can Willie Desjardins bring the Canucks back to where they were a few years ago? [McLeans]
- Hockey Night in Canada is new/old. [Awful Announcing]
- Speaking of rivlals, Chris Chelios talks going from Chicago to Detroit in a new book. [Detroit Free Press]
- James Mirtle of the Globe 'n' Mail debuts a new numbers-leaning column.
- Oh, just a shot to the nuts. No big deal. Wait, I mean... [SB Nation]
- Shirtless Blue Jackets fan dances with man in bear suit. Then things gets weird. [Deadspin]