Islanders Gameday Bits: Martin maligned; Halmo healing; Clarkson cancelled; World Cup goes Worldwide

The Islanders will take their point from Dallas and run all the way to Nashville to face the pissed-off Predators who have lost four straight. FIG picks go here. Don't pick Matt Martin.

Islanders links

• The aforementioned Martin will sit out the game after being suspended by the NHL for his kneeing major on Trevor Daley. [LHH | Newsday, which also talks about Tyler Kennedy's upper body injury]
  
• Mike crunches the numbers and finds a countdown to playoff clinching.
• The Islanders penalty killing is actually getting better? [Eric Hornick's Skinny]
• Hornick also looks back at the last time the Islanders won in Nashville... 14 years ago.
• The Daily News' Stephen Lorenzo stops by the Point Blank podcast.
• Tracking the shot locations from the last Islanders-Rangers game. [MSG]
  
• Injured Mike Halmo is almost ready to return to the Sound Tigers and play out the string. [CT Post]
• Halmo will soon meet new teammates Dustin Jeffrey, Mark Louis and Dyson Stevenson. [Soundin' Off]
  
• Bridgeport traded defenseman Keith Seabrook to Rockford, presumably to be "closer" to his brother Brent. [BST]
  
• Joshua Ho-Sang had two goals in a Niagara win on Tuesday. [Fort Erie Times]
• Black stereotypes in hockey are a sad reality thanks to cavemen like Glenn Healy. [Bloomberg View]
• Don't mess with Jean Potvin or he'll make your teeth disappear. Literally. [Islanders Rules of the Road]

Outside the Island

• ESPN will air the World Cup of Hockey in 2016 and I can't say I'm excited. I don't watch the network because their "embrace debate" philosophy and endless supply of shouting gas bags give me a headache. But they did do a good job on their FIFA World Cup coverage so maybe it'll be OK. They have a year to get it together.
  
• "David Clarkson is now officially a member of the 2014-15 Blue Jackets -- his season is likely finished after he was diagnosed today with a torn oblique muscle." [Dispatch]
• CBS grades teams at the third quarter. The Islanders get straight "A's" but no mention as to why.
• Pierre LeBrun posts his award winners at the third quarter and a few Islanders are mentioned.
  
• The Dion Phaneuf-Joffrey Lupul Twitter fiasco has a happy ending: TSN will no longer air tweets during live broadcasts. [CP]
• But Lupul better cool it with challenging people on Instagram to fist fights. [Deadspin]
  
• The goalie madness in Florida will be addressed at the next GMs meeting and may allow more random goalies to appear in games. [Sportsnet]
• The Mike Ribeiro redemption story is truly remarkable. [SI.com]
• Goalie Andrew Hammond just might drag the Senators into the playoffs. [SB Nation]
• Are the Predators tired from a packed schedule? On the Forecheck investigates.
  
• Ref Paul Stewart was always looking out for the tough guys. [Huff Po]
• Ten years ago, a kid named Phil Kessel picked a college to go to and shocked the world. [SBN College Hockey]
  
• When using stats, don't lose the forest through the trees. [Jets Nation]
• JenLC extensively examines how Blackhawks brass develops youngsters. [Part 1 | Part 2]

SB Nation's Dan Rubenstein sits down with a relaxed Jeremy Roenick to talk about the trade deadline and pretend to drink coffee.