Islanders Gameday News: Redemption night; Burroughs trade; Jiggsy; LaFontaine; Canucks shuffle

The New York Islanders take their merry Western wagon trip to Vancouver tonight for a game that begins at 10 p.m. EST. That's...that's freaking late is what that is.

Islanders Reads (and a Listen)

• The players pledge not to lay an Edmonton in Vancouver tonight. [Newsday]
  
• Speaking of redemption, Eddie Lack would dig some of that tonight after being in goal for the epic seven-goal collapse the Canucks suffered in the third period last March when the Isles visited. [Metro]
• The Canucks are changing lines for tonight, moving Alex Burrows back with the Sedins after Radim Vrbata has spent virtually the entire season there. [Province]
• The Isles prospect report includes Kyle Burroughs racking up points on the Regina Pats blueline... [Isles]
• ... but now the former Pats captain will be collecting points for Medicine Hat after a trade in the WHL.
• The SNY IPB podcast talks to Jiggs McDonald about the current team, his entry to announcing, and the health of Al Arbour. [Soundcloud]
• More on the Isles honoring Pat LaFontaine on March 24, from the man himself, including calling his divorce from the franchise "probably a misunderstanding." [CBS NY]
• Doyle Somerby has improved this year for Boston U. [SBN College Hockey]
• Numbers from the Canucks' last game, a win over the Wings. [Nucks Misconduct]
• On Michael Bay films, and the different reactions to the Islanders tossing a stinker these days. [Altar of Bossy]
  
• This is funny for two reasons: The Isles secondary ticket value has skyrocketed over the last year, and TiqIQ, the company pushing such information because it gains from the PR, got itself into the Post. [Post] [CBS]
• FIG Picks: Leave your First Islanders Goal picks for tonight's game here. This game's so late, you can even leave them after dinner (depending on where you live).

Tangentially Related (Minnesota)

Keith Ballard talks about possible retirement and the unpenalized hit by Matt Martin that ended so badly.

(Callous aside: I hate what happened to Ballard but think it's crazy that Minnesota folks, starting with the coach, talk about Martin coming "all the way from the other side of the ice" like he was some Gary Robers, when really he was on a simple F1 puck pursuit after the D to D pass, and you can see in the video that he was already in that RW territory when Ballard received the pass. I hate that this stuff happens; but it happens.)

Even more of a downer than Ballard's possible career end is the worsening health of former Islander J.P. Parise. "Hockey was our thing," says tearful son Zach. [Star Trib]

Tangentially Related (Everywhere Else)

• NEW: The Leafs fired Randy Carlyle this morning. [Team announcement] [Every PPP post showing Carlyle was...an issue]
• The Flyers aren't the only team to test the many rules the NHL CBA has against activities during the Christmas break. [LHH Zeitgeist]
• Canada beat Russia in the WJC gold medal game last night. Isles draft pick Ilya Sorokin came into goal in relief after his Rangers-property creasemate allowed two goals on two shots. [TSN]
• Slovakia beat Sweden for bronze, which should cheer up Lubo and Jaro after their mistakes Sunday. [TSN]
• With the KHL shaky thanks to the Russian currency drop, maybe more of those Russian prospects will be drafted. [Sportsnet]
• Players from the epic 2010 U.S.-Canada WJC final -- including Calvin de Haan and Matt Donovan -- remember that moment. [NHL]
• Could Edmonton interim coach Todd Nelson, who took over under similar circumstances, be the next Jack Capuano? [Edmonton Sun]

Not Related, But...

• I mean, this is a fight. Of sorts. [GIF]
• NBC Sports could use a pronunciation and fact guide. (I'd probably know that...if they covered Isles games.) [DBD]

This week in hot slow-mo action: