One last Frans Nielsen contract extension post before we move on. Just thought some of the comments from Nielsen, Jack Capuano and teammates were worth archiving for posterity.

The clips and pull-quotes (from the scrums posted at the official site) include talk of how they see Nielsen as a player, how he's developed since coming over from Denmark, and why he's sticking around -- including if the arena uncertainty bothers him.

His video embed is below, along with links to videos of the others if you're interested. I've also added video of Evgeni Nabokov's appearance on NHL Live, since it might provide the armchair psychologists among us a tiny window into his mindset.

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Regulars here typically pick the First Islanders Goal for each game (you can pick tonight's in this FIG thread). As Eric Hornick has been tracking all season -- and well since the Reagan administration, when you think about it -- the Islanders are now four goals shy of their 10,000th in franchise history.

Four is a tall order for tonight, but you never know. So we better get this up: Leave your pick for who will score the 10,000th goal. It could be tonight (hopefully), it could be a week from now (hopefully not).

So in comments, leave your pick for the scorer and who assists on the goal. We'll refer to this post until it happens ... whenever it happens. If you also select the time and the game, the person closest to the right pick overall will receive one free indulgence, no questions asked.

Also for distraction:

Michael Fornabaio in his Bridgeport chat today, on Ty Wishart: "The guy's getting every-situation minutes here. It's not like they've buried him because they called a couple of their high draft picks up for emergency recalls. ... He's been a part of the leadership here."

And also from Hornick: With Aaron Ness making his debut, it's time for another look at that bountiful 2008 draft.

For the New York Islanders to step forward, they require both: (A) the patience they've exhibited with their younger assets and (B) the daring to seize opportunities to add established pros without violating (A). We've seen this with James Wisniewski and Brian Rolston (hmmm ... maybe this whole conversation ends now), as well as on lower yet more rewarding levels with Matt Moulson and P.A. Parenteau.

Could Marek Zidlicky fit the bill?

As noted (and discussed some in comments) in the Wednesday a.m. thread, Zidlicky has himself in a fix in Minnesota: First by being so surplus to needs that he was scratched three games in a row, then by airing his grievances to the press outside of Festivus season.

It's possible, though hardly likely, that the Wild could ask him to waive his no-trade clause and dump the final year of his contract. If that happens, should the Islanders inquire? There are a lot of factors in this thought exercise, so we'll take them one at a time.

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Occasionally Islanders fans try to decipher whether the team plays any different in front of Evgeni Nabokov than it does for Al Montoya or Rick DiPietro.

It's a common reach to explain any perceived trend in any team's season, but as is so often the case there's not much clear data to go on -- especially when one strays into "tries harder for" and "likes playing for" territory.

One noticeable difference in the two goalies' styles though is that Montoya plays higher in his crease than Nabokov.

Another difference might be buried in Elliotte Friedman's 30 Thoughts last week:

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It's been a couple of years since the Islanders have had a participant in the actual NHL all-star game [Full list here complete with injury and petulance replacements]. Michael Grabner was invited as a rookie for the skill challenge last year, but prior to that, you'd have to go back to Mark Streit in the '08-'09 season for participation in the all-star game itself. John Tavares is now beginning what Islanders fans hope will be an annual rite of passage that he can blow off in a few years when he's tired or suspended.

In light of the achievement, I've personally decided I'll watch the game this year and Mark and I decided to run a mock draft of the participants to get our inner GM on. [*Disclaimer, both GMs have limited knowledge of some of the players on our squads, did not look into any type of advanced statistics...or um, statistics, and really, did this mostly off the cuff. Don't Neil Greenberg my list.] We will use the rosters to play a one off fantasy match for bragging rights. The actual draft will be tonight on NBC Sports Network at 8pm. [Full coverage information here]

After the jump, the explanation of the selection process, the fantasy scoring criteria, and some breakdowns and observations about the rosters.

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First, your bad news: Per Michael Fornabaio, the Islanders say Calvin de Haan is expected to be out 4-6 weeks with his shoulder injury. Also: David Ullstrom is off IR, but he's been assigned to Bridgeport.

De Haan was headed to the AHL All-Star game, which seems to be a kiss of death for Isles defensemen, as AHL All-Star Mark Katic (out all year with his own variation of Islanders Shoulder) has found.

For some fun not in the a.m. links:

• XM Home Ice interview with Kevin Poulin
• Jack Capuano will be on HNIC radio today at 3:30 p.m.,
• You can send in questions for a Matt Martin "on the spot" treatment
• Truly off the beaten path, here's a documentary on a Sacred Heart floor hockey team. For real.

Earlier this week, Mike gave a look at Power Rankings specifically for December, which ranked the Isles up in what I would call their more expected territory (about 20th overall). To me that's the capability of this team, but it has not been their performance, their luck, and certainly not their blueline. Our regular weekly power rankings and media survey follows:

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Another 4+ hours until game time, this gap between morning and late West Coast game is too long. So here's another thread with a few links, and a quick assignment. Fill in the blank:

What I like most about John Tavares is his ____________.

It can be anything from the physical skill to the overall significance of his presence, and commitment to, the Islanders. Let us know in comments (my own is below), and if you're needing pre-game entertainment, further related and unrelated links below.

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By standings points (26 points), the New York Islanders rank 28th overall (with games in hand on most of their neighbors -- or neighbours, for our northern friends). By points percentage (.433), they rank 27th as their 1-6 OT/SO record fails them.

User Note: The preview thread for tonight's game vs. the Jets is over here, below the Android app promo.

Most media place them just a little higher than that (average of 26th, in the table below), while the GM said earlier this month that now is the time to vault well above that and make a playoff push. They are nine points out of eighth, with one to four games in hand on the teams they need to leap.

For a quick look at how fans of tonight's opponent digested last weeks Jets power rankings, check out Arctic Ice Hockey. This is our weekly power rankings and media ranking survey. It's also a chance to consider how they rank by several measures -- here's Torgo's look at their season in 10-game segments -- and speculate how high or low they're capable of landing by the end of the season.

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