Islanders Bits: Scheduling Oddities

Yesterday LHH reader Timtropolis brought up an interesting schedule quirk: Three consecutive games with the Devils in March. A home-and-home-and-home from Sunday, March 4, to Saturday, March 10.

I know I've seen this happen in the NHL before, and each time one of the two combatants has had another opponent mixed in. That's true of the Devils, who interrupt their three-game Islanders set with a visit by the Rangers March 6. On that note, the Islanders face the Rangers the day after the last Devils game in that set. Ah, the possibilities a three-team metro market yields.

In other scheduling oddities, the Islanders have nine games in October, but only six opponents. They face both Florida teams twice, as well as the home-and-home grudge match with the Penguins Oct. 25-27.

Micheal Haley Gets Another Tattoo

Haley signing autographs @TattooLous while getting his #IslesInk (via Official New York Islanders Twitter)

There is no truth to the rumor he tattooed his knuckle with "Avery's cheek was here."

More on the tattoo thing at Newsday.

Islanders Links

• Jeremy Roenick is the type who enjoyed playing in the NHL's old barns ... to a point. [SNY-PB]
• This is what the Islanders-Rangers look like on NHL 12 with canned narration by Gary Thorne and Bill Clement. ("If you turn the puck over, you will give up a scoring chance.") [Original at Operation Sports, where they also have a clip of the team ratings. Warning: obnoxious Jamaican-themed ad]
• Other FanShots at LHH: A call for scoring chance counters (more at Copper & Blue here) | A call for Islanders bar suggestions? | A look at Hockey's Future's latest Isles prospect list
• A look at some of the tattoos from your team's official tattoo shop and what-not.
• Oh noes, Yashin skates at the practice facility! Cue panic. Cue reason. I think we've been through this drill, and we've heard how the team allows alumni to use the facility. (Note: Radek Martinek was also skating.)
• Tom Gilutti with reports from that fundraiser for Jake Wisniewski.
• This was from last week, but Zenon Konopka had some interesting thoughts after being badgered about the trio of enforcer deaths this offseason. Well spoken as usual. Also, he made an interesting-but-likely-benign statement about there being "concern" that he was "too hands-on" with his outside business last season. He mentions those businesses are a great outlet away from the game.
  

Hockey Links

• Lost in this story I noticed ... the Oilers have 49 NHL contracts?!
• I love fluff pieces created for sponsors: Ovi believes Bauer switch is necessary move - nhl.com
• This Puck Daddy talk about the cap floor was pretty dead-on, I thought. The floor was always a risk to be a salary escalator, but I doubt many expected it to escalate this much. They really need a combo of more revenue sharing and a percentage-based rather than "$8 million below the mid point"-based payroll floor.
• The Jets 2.0 released their new jerseys, and they're pretty meh. As expected based on the logos, but still just meh. They went for timeless, which is good, but they lack anything to make me think, "Oooh, that's striking." And I tend to like blues.
• Hockey promotes violence? Yes. Hockey promotes riots and suicides and drug overdoses? No, not quite.
• Kyle Turris' reported contract demands are significant. I wonder if this environment is keeping these low-leverage RFAs from signing until the last minute.

Question of the Day

I'm looking at the schedule and don't see a lot of opportunities for good road trips on my end. But we'll see. My last in-person game was last December when the Flyers visited the Coliseum in the midst of the Islanders' lengthy struggles. (The losing streak was over, but the slump was not.) WebBard and I met up with Doug (LHH friend IslesOfficial) and had a good time, but the atmosphere was depressed amid the continuing slump.

What a difference a couple of months made.

My question to you: What was your last Islanders game? Was it when things were dour, or after things started to turn around?

Bonus Question: Have any non-Coliseum Islanders games/road trips in your sights for this season?