/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/21553083/20131019_ajw_ae4_068.0.jpg)
The Islanders host old friend John Tortorella and the Vancouver Canucks in an actual NHL game tonight, which is supposed to be a good thing.
Last night's NHL scores. In the "Battle of super-talented dudes from this tiny-ass town in Nova Scotia," Nathan MacKinnon and the Avalanche topped Sidney Crosby and the Penguins 1-0.
FIG Picks for tonight's game can be placed here.
Islanders News & Notes:
- If you slept all day yesterday, you probably missed the news that Lubomir Visnovsky was placed on IR retroactive to October 19th with a concussion sustained in that night's loss to the Hurricanes. He'll be out until at least the 29th. [LHH]
- Video: Visnovsky's regular partner Thomas Hickey and Andrew MacDonald talk about the temporary loss of Lubo. [Islanders]
- And Michael Grabner was suspended two games by the NHL for a hit to the head of Carolina's Nathan Gerbe in what was clearly a pretty costly loss to Carolina. Grabner will miss tonight and Friday's game in Pittsburgh. [LHH]
- Their spots will be filled by Brock Nelson and Matt Donovan, and Arthur Staple thinks a Class 5 Free-Roaming Martinek Vapor could still end up haunting the Coliseum soon. [New$day]
- Staple also talks with selfless Frans Nielsen about being the second line center behind that Tavares guy. [New$day]
- Nielsen's piasan - or whatever "friend" is in Danish - Peter Regin was on the Butch Goring Radio Program yesterday, as was Islanders VP, Rangers killer and known lycanthrope Ken Morrow. [Blog Talk Radio]
- A one-on-one with budding folk hero Casey Cizikas via the Islanders site. [Isles]
- The Islanders also posted a stats progress report on the prospects in the system. That Bridgeport D needs some serious activation. [Isles]
- Eyes on Isles wants to see more desperation from the team, regardless of who's playing. [EoI]
- Let's put some smiles on those faces! The Islanders' seventh Youth Jamboree is happening this November 17th, and their annual fan fest at Adventure Land was on Sunday. I hope Lubo didn't ride the Gravitron. [Jamboree] [Adventure Land]
- REMINDER: "Big Shot," the ESPN 30-for-30 documentary on John Spano premieres tonight on the big network at 8 pm. Here's some hack's review of the flick. He says it's required viewing for Islanders fans. [LHH]
Ex-Islanders News:
- The Team USA roster for the Deutschland Cup includes Rhett Rahkshani and Dylan Reese. [USA Hockey]
- Adam Proteau of The Hockey News something something NHL captains. Denis Potvin is involved. [THN]
- A few days ago, we saw a video of Trevor Gillies hauling off and sucker punching Jarkko Ruutu right in the kisser in an SM-liga (Finnish league) game. Apparently, the Helsinki police saw the video, too, after someone reported Gillies for assault. Oh, Trevor! You're incorrigible. [Puck Daddy]
- The hard workin' folks at Habs Eyes on the Prize have a series on the Canadiens Most Impactful Trades of the 1990s and they examine a personal favorite of mine, former Islanders captain Trevor Linden. In the great Gluckstern/Milstein Roster Purge of 1999, the Islanders sent Linden to Montreal for a first round pick that was used to take defenseman Branislav Mezei who, impossibly, is still playing. [HEOTP]
- Last but certainly not least, Roman Hamrlik has decided to retire from hockey. There are and have been a lot of knocks on Hamrlik's game, his draft position, his salary and his views on labor negotiations. But if you're an Islanders fan of a certain vintage, you'll probably remember him as part of a very quick and staunch defensive corps during the early 2000's along with Kenny Jonsson and Adrian Aucoin. Good luck to him, wherever he goes from here. [Puck Daddy]
There's More? Yup.
- Friedman. 30 Thoughts. Go. [HNIC]
- The Rangers defenseman are adjusting to Alain Vigneault's new systems. [BSB]
- The venerable Eric T of Broadstreet Hockey has been posting analytics articles under the title "Outnumbered" on the SBN NHL homepage for about a week now. His latest looks at NHL team quickly adopting and embracing new stats, even if they're not what we've come to expect. [SB Nation]
- Sens blog Welcome to Your Karlsson Years ponders the staid Ottawa fan experience and how having an arena mainly accessible by car can affect a fanbase. A lot of similarities exist between what the author describes and what Islanders fans go through when visiting Nassau Coliseum, despite what some Canadian fans would like to think. [WTYKY]
- I'm 47% sure this article about exorcising the Oilers' injury woes with a metaphysical "space cleaning" is a parody. But then again... [Edmonton Journal]
Wait. Other team's players can get suspended, too? Yes, sir. Busy day yesterday for Brendan Shanahan, who also suspended Colorado's Cody McLeod five games for squishing Detroit's Niklas Kronwall against the glass last week.