Islanders Gameday News: All Star Jaro; Ness, too; Penguin Praise; Mending broken Sabres

Enough about Tuesday night. Time to focus on tonight and those Pittsburgh Penguins. FIG picks can be registered here. Game time is 7 pm.

Islanders things

• Congrats to Jaroslav Halak for making the All Star Team as a replacement for Jimmy Howard. Just, please, be careful in Columbus. [LHH | Newsday | NY Daily News |
  
• What does playing in the ASG mean for a goalie? Depends. [Capitol District Islander]
• OK, one last thing about Tuesday: The Islanders waltzed into MSG, didn't take their shoes off, looked through the medicine cabinet and ate all the Rangers' food. [LHH]
• Expect to see drilling going on at the Coliseum when the underground well of fans found there is tapped. [LHH Zeitgeist]
  
• The Penguins have effusive praise for the Islanders, which means they're extra pissed off and out for blood. [Post-Gazette]
• Tonight is the final game for the Penguins at Nassau Coliseum, where they've had a number of historic games (mostly after 1984). [Tribune]
• Bob McKenzie talks Islanders for a few minutes, doesn't sound like a big believer but who knows. [TSN.ca]
  
• Video: NHL.com's Dan Rosen answers questions, one regarding the Islanders.
• Audio: College hoops guy John Feinstein knows John Tavares and Johnny Gaudreau exist. Here he is on the "Johnny Hockey" moniker.
  
• The Barclays Center folks are working to make Section 329 feel right at home. [Isles Blog]
• Sound Tigers stats ahead of this weekend's games. [BST]
• And captain Aaron Ness replaces Ryan Pulock on the AHL All Star team. [Soundin' Off]
  
• Our own Mark D is raising money for a fallen friend by playing a virtual Islanders run to the Stanley Cup. Please help if you can. [LHH]
  

Out There

• Also jumping into the All Star Game is Marc-Andre Fleury [Pensburgh] who replaced Pekka Rinne while he recovers for the next month or so [On the Forecheck]
• Brad Marchand, slew-footin' superstar. [SB Nation] Rangers lose by another shutout.
• Logan Couture dishes on the league's (well, really the Western Conference's) best centers. [Players Tribute]
  
• How's that tank goin' Tim? Looked a little dicey for a while, but it seems fine right now. [NHL.com]
• Dominik Hasek and Ted Nolan reconnect for the first time in 17 years. [Buffalo News]
• But don't expect Matt Barnaby to kiss and make up with The Dominator anytime soon. [Die By The Blade]
  
• Craig Button ranks prospects because that's what Craig Buttons do. [TSN.ca]
• Peter Karmanos is selling... the Plymouth Whalers. And the venerable OHL team is moving to Flint, Michigan. [Windsor Star]
• This physics teacher hates the Maple Leafs the way I hated math class. [PPP]