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Islanders News: Back to the Coliseum, with Mikhail Grabovski on Tavares' wing

The lines, and the readings, ahead of a preseason meeting with the Hurricanes at the Coliseum.

By Dominik
"We're going to need a bigger Staal."
"We're going to need a bigger Staal."
USA TODAY Sports

It's New York Islanders gameday (again!), and this time it's the final Isles preseason game at Nassau Coliseum as we know it. The Isles face the Hurricanes tonight, who will be without Jordan Staal tonight and for a considerable chunk of the season.

From Staple, here are expected lines for tonight, notably with Mikhail Grabovski on wing and a sexy Hot Prospect second line:

  • Jack Capuano liked how Grabovski and Brock Nelson played in the Ottawa games. [Isles]
  • John Tavares felt great and was happy to play Monday. If he's happy, we're all happy Also: Grabovski is fine with whatever, including playing next to the Isles' best player. [Newsday]
  • Dan fielded questions about the Isles for the Columbus site, The Cannon. No satire, just good stuff. [Cannon]
  • Billy Jaffe calls in for the IPB podcast. [IPB]
  • Ken Campbell briefly pauses from protecting-his-lawn duty to call Tavares the top candidate for the Art Ross. [THN]
  • If you're used to scooping up nice deals for Isles tickets on StubHub, Forbes -- which is always perfectly correct on sports economics -- predicts a pricey secondary market for Isles tickets in Brooklyn. [Forbes]
  • St. John's covers their former player, returning Sound Tiger Kael "Mallrat" Mouillierat. [Telegram]
Beyond the Island
  • Friedman's 30 Thoughts: It's 10 o'clock on July 24, do you know who your NHLers are training with?
  • Absolutely brutal: Staal broke his leg in last night's preseason game against the Sabres. [NHL]
  • Few days old, but great: Joe Thornton is clear he believes in the Sharks roster more than Doug Wilson seemed to, and he's not sure why unnamed teammates waited until after the season to speak up. [Mercury News]
  • Great history piece here. If you're a new fan, be glad that you came after the miserable era where holdouts were a thing. Five Holdouts Who Changed the NHL " Grantland
  • Do you smoke hope? Er, follow Hope Smoke? After crotchety Toronto radio guys whined that the guy is probably anonymous and in a basement, etc. (you know, because he has the nerve to transcribe what they emit over the air), the National Post chatted with him. [Fitz-Gerald]
  • Here's more on the all-access, "uncensored" NHL show on that one channel you've never heard of. [SB Nation]
  • Barry Trotz had a lot to consider with the Washington job, particularly care for their son who has Down syndrome. [Wa. Post]
  • The Caps Winter Classic design has been in the works for a while now. [dumpnchase] Japers' Rink reacts to the design.
  • Was the Jason Garrison sale a good return for Vancouver? Maybe. [NHL Numbers]
  • What about getting Jakub Markstrom in the Luongo deal? The Panthers were "more than happy" to dump him. [Lebrun via Nichols on Hockey via radio]
  • The Panthers know they need to, like, try to get profitable. So they're going to stop giving away tickets and steep discounts, paltry attendance be damned. [Herald]
  • Why look at Corsi? Some charts that note how a players Corsi from year-to-year is more consistent than his goal percentage. [hockey-graphs]
  • Believe it or not, these teams are candidates to carry three goalies on the roster. [PHT]
  • The Leafs could not veto NHL expansion to Toronto, the commish says. [Star]
  • In case you forgot, Nathan MacKinnon was really good last year. Damn it. [TSN]
  • Not hockey, but family of the expected new Isles owner: Katie Ledecky is Amazing at the Pool Thing. [Grantland]
  • Disgusted Development: Tobias Funke has been GM of the Broons all this time. [HEOTP]

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