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NY Islanders Preseason Rosters vs. Calgary Flames: Choose Your Lines & Pairs

The Islanders' split-squad rosters for Calgary have been released. Time for you to play coach.

By Dominik
No pressure, Matt. You miss this putt, we lose.
No pressure, Matt. You miss this putt, we lose.
Bruce Bennett

The New York Islanders have posted who has gone where for Tuesday night's simultaneous split-squad games against the Flames. (The Calgary video will be streamed at Newyorkislanders.com. Find radio feed for the Regina game at 960 The Fan - Calgary.)

Some of the lines will be obvious, some leave room for the armchair coach and undiscovered hockey genius that lies within you. Here's your chance to declare how you would play it (or alternatively, which combos you want to see for amusement or experimentation). That can include special teams (such as Donovan on the power play, and Arthur Staple of Newsday saw Bouchard on the 2PP point), if you so desire.

Leave your preferences in comments. Your two pools of players are as follows:

IN CALGARY

Forwards
Josh Bailey
Chris Bruton
Jason Clark
Cal Clutterbuck
Michael Grabner
Mike Halmo
Justin Johnson
Kirill Kabanov
Frans Nielsen
Kyle Okposo
John Persson
Peter Regin
Riley Wetmore

Defensemen
Matt Carkner
Calvin de Haan
Matt Donovan
Andrew MacDonald
Ryan Pulock
Griffin Reinhart

Goaltenders
Parker Milner
Evgeni Nabokov
Ken Reiter

IN REGINA

Forwards
Pierre-Marc Bouchard
Eric Boulton
Casey Cizikas
Brett Gallant
Anders Lee
Matt Martin
Colin McDonald
Matt Moulson
Brock Nelson
Ryan Strome
Johan Sundstrom
John Tavares

Defensemen
Joe Finley
Travis Hamonic
Thomas Hickey
Scott Mayfield
Aaron Ness
Brian Strait
Lubomir Visnovsky

Goaltenders
Anders Nilsson
Kevin Poulin

For argument's sake, here is how I see it:

Calgary (Proposed)

Bailey-Nielsen-Okposo
Grabner-Regin-Clutterbuck
Persson-Clark-Kabanov
Halmo-Wetmore-Bruton
Johnson

The top six is no leap: Two lines that have skated in camp and are likely to begin the season together. The third line is Islanders draftees, while the fourth are the brutes, though maybe you spread them around as needed. Speaking of which, Bruton is a Calgary native.

Johnson is on a PTO but is signed to Bridgeport. I guess he should work in there somewhere too, if preseason roster rules allow.

Donovan-MacDonald
de Haan-Carkner
Pulock-Reinhart

It seems like the Isles might try Donovan and MacDonald together, particularly if Hamonic and Strait remain a thing. I put de Haan and Carkner together for the old puck-mover/stay-at-home combo, and the prospect gazer in me would just like to see WHL boys Pulock and Reinhart together.

Regina (Proposed)

Moulson-Tavares-Bouchard (duh!)
Lee-Nelson-Strome
Martin-Cizikas-McDonald
Gallant-Sundstrom-Boulton (poor Johan)

So the top line is the initial PAP Memorial audition line, the second line is a combo they've run in camp so far, the third line are familiar from last season, and then there is Gallant and Boulton. Ultimately I'd rather see Sundstrom get a look with one of those middle six combos -- we already know what Cizikas can do -- but Nelson is ahead of him and closer to an NHL job, so there you go.

Strait-Hamonic
Finley-Mayfield
Ness-Hickey
Visnovsky

Other than the top pairing (which as noted above, has been together in camp), I doubt these other combos are tried. But it would amuse me to see twin towers Finley and Mayfield together along with twin mites Ness and Hickey. And honestly, we all know quite well what Visnovsky can do and how important he is to the team, so I find it cruel they made him fly to Regina anyway.

Well, those are half guesses, half wishes. Have any of your own? Or any quibbles with the above? You have less than 24 hours or so to declare why everything is wrong.

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