Islanders News: Smelling like a rose; Ho-Sang, Barzal to league finals; Staten Islanders

How you feeling? Good? Me, too. Enjoy the days between Games 1 and 2.

Islanders linkage

• Recaps: LHH | Newsday | NY Post | NY Daily News | Islanders | NHL.com | NYI Skinny | Raw Charge
• A Game 1 win is nice, but there's a lot more the Islanders need to accomplish. That's not me saying that. It's them. [NHL.com]
  
• Newsday notes: Josh Bailey stayed in New York, while Ryan Pulock is with the team in Tampa | Ryan Strome made a good impression in his first game back | While Cappy took a puck in the schnoz]
• Here's video of Capuano's bench scare. Some good quips from the winning locker room afterward. [LHH]
  
• Before the game, Dom talked with good dude John Fontana from the venerable Raw Charge about what to expect from the Lightning.
• Also yesterday, Arthur Staple did a Twitter Q&A I didn't have time to post. There weren't a whole lot of new revelations, but it's here and here if you want to read it.
  
• Make time for Quine Time. [NY Times]
• Leboff and I did our most positive podcast yet, but we still found at least a little time to be afraid of the Lightning. [Islanders Anxiety]
• (Personal note: we had 1,000 listens yesterday which, I think, is a personal best for the show on a posting day. Our last episode almost doubled our usual average amount of listens. Thank you all so much for listening, even the ones that clicked play by accident. We really, really appreciate it.)
• This is Leboff's worst nightmare: the Islanders have angered Mike Francesa by not responding to the Pope's royal call. [Puck Daddy]
  
• Kyle Okposo and Nick Leddy are part of Fox Sports North's really sad "Our team is done so here are a bunch of guys still playing from Minnesota" list.
• Staten Island's Borough President is a huge Islanders fan going back to the 70's. And no, the borough president isn't our own S.I. native Mark. [SI Live]

Prospect Playoffs

• The Sound Tigers prep for Game 3 against the Marlies in Toronto. It could be their swan song. [Soundin' Off]
• Two years after being acquired by the Islanders, Sebastian Collberg is finally finding some traction. [CT Post]
• Michael Dal Colle is learning the pro game in Bridgeport and for he, Brent Thompson and the Islanders, it's all about development right now. This is good stuff with some good, honest quotes. Read it. [Yahoo.ca]
• The Niagara Ice Dogs will face the London Knights in the OHL championship after completing their sweep of the Barrie Colts with a 3-2 win. Joshua Ho-Sang was held off the board in Game 4, but Niagara won its 10th straight in the playoffs, which is crazy. The two teams played in the playoffs last year, with London coming out on top. [St. Catharine's Standard]
• And the Thunderbirds are on to the WHL's championship series after sweeping Kelowna with a 5-4 double overtime win Wednesday. Mathew Barzal had three assists in the game. Seattle now faces Brandon for the league title. [T-Birds]
• Shawinigan is now up 3-1 on Saint John after their 4-3 OT victory. Anthony Beauviller got back on the scoresheet with a goal and an assist. [QMJHL]

All that other stuff

• Strike up the band: the Predators won their franchise's first ever Game 7, beating Anaheim 2-1 last night as the Ducks dropped their fourth (4th!) straight deciding game at home. [OTF rejoices | Corey Perry laments another bummer]
  
• The Blackhawks think Andrew Shaw is "irreplaceable" for some reason. [SCH]
• Yes. Yes, they are. [NJ.com]
• Bob McKenzie's draft rankings are up at TSN. Auston Matthews has some company at the top.
  
• Never too early to look towards the Frozen Four sites of the future. [SBN CH]
• NWHL player Tatiana Rafter blogs about life on the road during the league's inaugural season. [SCoC]
• Awful Announcing's NHL announcer votes are in the people have put Howie and Butch... somewhere in the middle with a heaping dash of the Homer tag.
• The Czechs had to change their World Cup of Hockey jerseys because of some medieval coat or arms law or something. Ask Dom. He'll know. [Sportslogos.net]
  
• Some ESPN PR suit tries to explain those stupid, ubiquitous World Cup ads that are running now. I understand that they wanted to go in a different direction. I just wish they had picked a creative, interesting or funny one instead of what they went with. [Puck Daddy]
• The EA Sports NHL 17 cover vote is going on and the World Cup ruined it, too.