Islanders Bits: Indeed, No Nathan Lawson in Preseason is Why the Lockout Stinks

The Bridgeport Sound Tigers (that's the wing of the New York Islanders organization that is playing hockey games) resumes practice today.

Highlights from their first two games are embedded below, before the other...hockey-ish links on a lockout Tuesday.

We discussed those two victories some in this thread, and if you missed the live comment thread there are some really great observations about both games in comments (green ones usually stand out, beginning here, though just above that you see the excitement of the five-goal onslaught).

• More currently, the Connecticut Post's Sound Tigers beat writer Michael Fornabaio will have his weekly Sound Tigers chat today at 1:30 p.m. EDT. Go there to ask questions, or to see answers. Or both.
• As for other prospects, the Islanders official site has a healthy roundup here, and are updating the stats on their prospect primer page here.
• Further along in one's hockey career, Rick DiPietro gave up three goals in his debut in Germany, but his coach thought he was a bit unlucky and/or rusty.

Bridgeport Highlights (via Sound Tigers on YouTube)

Sound Tigers 6, Whale 4

Sound Tigers 4, P-Bruins 2

Mostly Lockout-like Hockey Links:

• In an article on prospects adjusting to an amped-up AHL, Dean Chynoweth (now coaching Lake Erie) shares some hilarious questions he gets from the young pups.
  
• In intentional lockout humor, a focus group arranged by NHL owners and led by a leading GOP strategist tested different messages to get the public back on the owners' side. Included in their images of "What makes you miss hockey the most?" A freaking preseason photo of Jordan Eberle missing a wide open net vacated by a sprawling Nathan Lawson. Yeah. [FanShot talk here]
  
• In unintentional lockout humor, the Onion does Bettman: Gary Bettman Surprised By Popularity Of NHL Lockout | The Onion
• Bob McKenzie parses the madness that is the NHL lockout, and sees bad things.

As always, feel free to add your own links in comments here or in FanShots.