Islanders News: Break time; Productive kids; WJC; Winter Classic; Toyotas

Howdy, folks. Apologies for the lack of a Bits post yesterday. There was simply not enough content with which to produce one. Such is life when your team is Not Good and On a Break. Still another three (3!) nights until Islanders hockey resumes against the Avalanche.

Islanders Items

• Mike Leboff and Dan return with the 27th installment of Islanders Anxiety, with special guest Dominik. They discuss the Jaroslav Halak waiving, the trade deadline, the expansion draft, and a proper outdoor Islanders alumni game. [LHH]
• Josh Bailey has spent most of this season on the wing of John Tavares, and the results are apparent: he leads the team in assists. [Newsday]
• The latest Prospect Report highlights how Mathew Barzal and Kieffer Bellows are currently competing in World Juniors, while 2015 7th-round pick David Quenneville scored his 20th goal of the season. Oh yeah, he's a defenseman, and he's leading WHL defenseman in goals and points. [Islanders]
• The other Isles kids, those in Bridgeport, did not have as much success this weekend during a loss to the Albany Devils. Goaltending was at fault, according to coach Brent Thompson. I blame the fact that they were in Albany. [CT Post]
• Well, I appluad your optimism, Paul: A blog that says that there's still a chance we make it. [Isles Talk I]
• From the same website, an interview is conducted with Alan Fuerhing, the play-by-play commentator for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. [Isles Talk II]
• The Weekly Metropolitan Division Snapchat from All About the Armpits. [AATJ]

World Juniors Whimsicals

• Team Canada will move on to the semifinals after defeating the Czechs 5-3 in the quarterfinals. [SB Nation]
• They won because they learned from last year's loss in the quarterfinal to Finland, or some other garbage about learning lessons even though most of the current team wasn't there last year. [TSN Video I]
• Now, they look forward to their next game, against a very good Team Sweden, who believes they match up well. [TSN Video II]

Winter Classic Chronicles

• The way the Winter Classic has been treated over the last few years, it's starting to seem a bit gimmicky, and people have started to lose interest. St. Louis Game Time is here to remind you that it still holds a lot of importance. [SLGT]
• Pat LaFontaine was born in St. Louis, and it was where it all started for him. [Twitter]
• The weather was rainy before the game and threatened to interrupt. Roberto Luongo heard this and then continued to be one of Twitter's greatest treasures [SBN]:

Man it would suck if these guys waited their whole lives to play in an outdoor game and then couldn't to due to unforeseen circumstances

— Strombone (@strombone1) January 2, 2017

• In 1985, Ken Hitchcock decided to give back to the community by organizing an outdoor pick-up hockey game between local hockey players and prison inmates in Saskatchewan, so he's been here before. [Puck Daddy]
• Noted asshole Bobby Hull represented the Blackhawks at the Winter Classic, and their fans are rightly embarrassed. As far as the organization's respect for women goes, this is just par for the course. [Second City Hockey]
• Once all was said and done, the Blues came out on top 4-1, thanks to two goals from Vladimir Tarasenko in 1:53 in the third period. [SLGT]

Other Tales from the NHL

• Last night's NHL scores (and you can toggle to those from the night before, apologies there was no link to them yesterday).
• On actual New Years Day, the Leafs hosted the Red Wings for the Centennial Classic, and after they blew a 4-1 lead, their newly anointed savior Auston Matthews rescued them from complete embarrassment by a bad team. [PPP]
• The Canadiens signed a new two-year lease on their Toyota. Okay they extended backup and one-time Islander Al Montoya for another two years. [HEOTP]
• The Winnipeg Jets waived Alex Burmistrov the night after their loss to the Isles, and he was claimed by the Coyotes. [SBN | Five for Howling]
• And finally, a piece on the simultaneous long-ass win streaks for the Blue Jackets and Wild that came together and saw the end of one and the coronation of another. [SBN]