Islanders News: Tavareccuracy

The league is still in All-Star and exhibition mode, with today's games -- yes, there's three -- starting on consecutive hours beginning at 5 p.m. EST.

• John Tavares hits targets well and fast, plus other Skills Competition updates and highlights. [LHH | Newsday] ] I could barely contain my excitement in the preview.
  
• Tavares' performance could be a good sign of things to come for the Islanders. [NY Post]
• Mark dug up every Russian (or in some cases, Russian league player) the Islanders drafted during the first decade of this millennium. The results aren't pretty. Here's Part 1, with Part 2 (the Snow years) coming later today.
  
• In J-F Berube's final conditioning stint start (four wins in four tries), Mike Halmo scored his first pro hat trick as the Sound Tigers won, 4-1, to go into the AHL All-Star break on a high. [BST | CT Post]
  
• Halmo has scored eight in 13 games, but then there's alarming news: Ryan Pulock left the game after blocking a shot, and there was no update on his condition post-game. [Soundin' Off]. Whatever's wrong with Pulock means he'll miss today's AHL All Star Game. Poor bastard. Alan Quine was named as his replacement.
• Josh Ho-Sang scored a nice backhand penalty shot goal in Niagara's 3-2 loss to Barrie on Saturday night. [Ice Dogs]. And a Vine: 
  

  Josh Ho-Sang (NYI) w/ a nice penalty shot goal last night. Faked a shot, made a nice move in close to his backhand https://t.co/zf3O06Jhqp

  — Kathryn Jean (@msconduct) January 31, 2016

  
  
• The Thunderbirds have lost two in a row, but Mathew Barzal scored this opportunistic goal in Friday night's 5-4 loss to Spokane. Seattle lost 2-1 to Everett last night.
  
  

  

• The defense prospects can score, too: On Friday, Parker Wotherspoon had the game-winner against Everett [TC Herald] while across the continent, Mitchell Vande Sompel had a goal in Oshawa's loss to Barrie [Bay Short Broadcasting]
• That time when the Isles and Whalers played a game without penalties. [Along the Boards]
• In his state of the league talk, Garry Bettman called the Isles in Brooklyn "a work in progress" and acted like the whole John Scott thing was no big deal. [Newsday]

And Also...

• Also in his state of the league talk, among other topics Bettman said the expansion process is still undergoing research. [NHL]
• The best and the worst from Saturday's skills competition, via the host city. [On the Forecheck]
• Matt Donovan talks about his upbringing on the range, I mean the rink. [AHL]
• Look out, the NHL's redesigned website and apps launch tomorrow. [NHL]