Islanders Gameday News: Star Wars; Barzal bazaar; Billy Smith in the wild

The Islanders are in Dallas tonight and St. Louis tomorrow night. Then they’re off for four days, but it’s not their bye week (that’s in January). Schedule-makers, am I right folks?

FIGs go here. Weird stuff always happens when the Islanders and Stars play each other so let your imagination run wild.

Islanders News

• During his flight to northern Texas, Arthur Staple took questions and answered some of them in the latest Isles’ mailbag. Seems that Calvin de Haan is pricing himself off the team, according to this speculation. The last answer also seems to contradict what Jon Ledecky has said regarding the franchise’s future. [Newsday]
• Mathew Barzal and Jordan Eberle look like a match made in heaven, with both players taking off since being lined up next to each other. [Islanders]
• More on Barzal: He’s now part of the Calder Trophy race [SBN] | The Maven says the sky’s the limit. | The Islanders patience is being rewarded. [The Score]
• You can check out Garik’s video-cast from last night here. Many topics and numbers were discussed.
• The Hockey PDOcast mostly discusses the Duchene trade, I think, but there’s supposedly some Tavares talk at the end. I haven’t listened to it yet, but I can assure you that when I do, I will have heard it. [Encyclopedia]
• Power rankings everywhere like where the team is at currently. Thank you for carrying the torch passed on by Mike, Torgo. [LHH]
• The IsleSeat podcast discusses the Oilers game, as well as Josh Bailey’s great week and has a good interview with him. They also plug Spizzwolf’s Josh Ho-Sang article, which you should have read by now.
• The sons of former Islanders Doug Weight, Steve Staios and Todd Bertuzzi are just getting their skates wet. [Dawson Creek Mirror]
• The Railers have a Jones brother of their own. They have Kellen. Connor is on the Sound Tigers. Uh, you are, Kellen? Right? [Telegram]
• Have you ever seen the spectacular set of Bruce Bennett photos of Billy Smith lounging and stalking the woods near a Long Island pond? This is the story of those photos. [The Score]

The Great Beyond

• Last night’s NHL scores. Tampa Bay is a goddamn machine. And the Devils fell to the Oilers in OT on another McDavid-Draisaitl connection.
• Brian Boyle scored his first goal of the season after his cancer treatment and the emotion was overwhelming. [SBN]
• Travis Yost evaluates the sustainability of some of the of the league’s hottest shooters, John Tavares among them. [TSN.ca]
• Gionta-palooza: Brian Gionta is shooting for the PyeongChang Olympics [Team USA], while his little bro Stephen works his way back to Bridgeport. [CT Post]
• Pat LaFontaine makes the Hall of Fame case for his friend and former linemate Dave Andreychuk. [NHL.com]