There are seven games left in the Islanders' season, 10 games left in the Sound Tigers' regular season, and prospects' seasons are ending one by one. Last night it was Brock Nelson's turn, as his North Dakota squad was ousted from the NCAA tournament by Minnesota. Here is the UND post-game presser (no Nelson there ... on a plane to Bridgeport? (I kid.)).
- Coverage of last night's shootout win over the Panthers: LHH recap | Our SBN partners at Litter Box Cats | Newsday has quotes from Nielsen and Okposo | The Skinny updates Frans Nielsen's shootout dominance and John Tavares' percentage of Isles offense | NYIFYI on the weekend in Florida
- Newsday has Steve Staios commenting on wanting to stick around if he plays next year. [FanShot thread here]
- And Staple projects where some prospects will be next year. He lists a certain Minnesotan as Bridgeport-bound.
- The Sound Tigers got a big, needed win over Connecticut, with Kevin Poulin playing a huge part and Matt Donovan scoring the late OT winner.
- Video features on various Islanders: Here's their "Islesography" page. And here's a THN piece with Matt Moulson. And here's Grabner getting ink.
- Tour the Barclay's Center ... via Fox video anyway.
If you read that translation of the Swiss article on Nino Niederreiter's tough rookie season, you'll probably be interested in BenHasna's comment about how Swiss media tends to treat the NHL, and how there are some perception biases that probably affect the reporting.
Around Hockey
- Quebec went all-in with public financing for a new arena scheduled for 2015. Which due to the date gets Isles fans nervous. But of course Quebec will happily take a team before 2015. And of course this makes people worry about Hartford's chances. The NHL is unimpressed (and I think they even removed the headline from nhl.com, if I'm not mistaken).
- Great piece on how "Do something!" is a tired, media-friendly knee-jerk reaction that's not necessarily practical or smart.
- Interesting piece from Buccigross on whether the Devils' long, slow PR evolution has held them back. [FanShot]
- NHL Discipline: Soft On Crime: Why NHL Suspensions Are Too Light - Matchsticks and Gasoline
- Bobby Says Change to 3-2-1: Change the Point System (Holik on Hockey)
The dogfight of the night tonight should be Colorado in San Jose, with both teams battling in the Western bubble.