Islanders/NHL News: Passing data; no hospital visits; Eakins, Hall speak; the longest shootout

The New York Islanders don't play again until Friday in Detroit, which gives us a chance to tend to some housekeeping and other posts around here. And to continue giving you reading/listening assignments. Please proceed:

Islanders Reads

• NEW: Griffin Reinhart has been returned to Bridgeport. [@NYIslanders]
• NEW, II: Michael Grabner is on IR, retroactive to Dec. 13. Lower body. Hmmph. [@NYIslanders]
• The Isles announced second-half individual ticket sale, with a series of promotions including Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier mini-locker nights, a salute for Pat LaFontaine, the "fisherman" warmup, original unis on the final (regular season game), and bobbleheads. Arthur Staple says nights are in the works for more players, including John Tonelli. [LHH]
• Continuing an interesting (and labor-intensive) project: Tracking the Islanders' individual passing data, and discussing what it all means. [LHH fanpost]
• Out of extra caution (read: not Pens, yeah?) with so many mumps cases in the NHL, the Islanders are delaying their holiday hospital visits to children. [Post] They are among several teams doing so. [ESPN] Even though no Isles players have shown symptoms, mumps has a long incubation period. [CBS]
• Program alert: I'll be a guest on Brian Compton's podcast today. Will update with links and such.
  
• We are adding a few more Mikes authors at LHH: Please welcome Michael Leboff (@TheBigLeebowski on Twitter), who discussed John Tavares' naughty and nearly costly move against the Devils.
• 2014 goalie draft pick Ilya Sorokin is in WJC camp with Russia. That and other prospect news (Crus Rydberg's return from a broken leg) at the official site.
• Longtime Isles stat man and Union alum Eric Hornick recalls how watching the Isles play Keith Kinkaid the other night had him torn like no night since Chico Resch returned with the Colorado Rockies. [The Skinny]
  

About Last Night

• An absurd number of games in the NHL last night included a new NHL-record 20-round shootout that the Panthers won over the Capitals, another Vladimir Tarasenko hat trick (including ENG), the Blue Jackets' seventh straight win (over Detroit), Andrei Vasilevskiy winning in his debut for Tampa, and a Rangers sweep of Western Canada.
• That's not even half of them. Another: Edmonton played its first game since firing Dallas Eakins and ... lost in the last second of overtime in Arizona. The Coyotes hadn't won at home in nine games.
  

Roberto Luongo was the winning goalie for the marathon shootout last night:

I blacked out what just happened???

— Strombone (@strombone1) December 17, 2014

Beyond Last Night

• James Mirtle with some interesting points on those nights when the analytics (and usually, the coaches) say the losing team played better. In hockey, possession is not nine-tenths of the law because there is so much goaltending voodoo and luck involved, too. [Globe & Mail]
  
• Eakins discussed his firing by Edmonton, his hopes for their future, and ... patience for the rebuild. [CBC]
  
• If Eakins wants an example of a young coach who can rise again, look no further than Alain Vigneault, who many forget was canned in Montreal. [ESPN]
  
• Did someone within the Oilers organization really have the gall to tell Darren Dreger they're unhappy with Taylor Hall's fit in the "culture" of the organization? [Oilers Nation]
• Hall was asked, and channeled Spies Like Us (well, in my head he did): Boys, it would be a shame to have to kill you now. [Sportsnet] Very thoughtful answers from Hall.
  
• As a reminder, the Oilers once could have had Corey Perry and a first-round pick for Mike Comrie, but Kevin Lowe demanded Comrie pay money back first. [CBC]
• Watching hockey, part 1: How to watch the "Road to the Winter Classic" this season. [SCH]
• Watching hockey, part 2: Six (but really three) great hockey documentaries you can watch online (part 1). [THW]
  
• A look from USA camp getting ready for the WJC. [SBN College Hockey]
• How terrible has the Devils' drafting been? In Lou we suspect. [Lozo at Bleacher]
• The Kings revealed their Stadium Series getup, including ... white pants. [Puck Daddy]

Not Hockey, But: This is kind of insane. The ways an NBA writeri has apparently mixed opinion, scoops, and favorable coverage for the latter. The Joe Dumars fine is amazing. [New Republic]