Islanders News: Survived the Hurricane, but ‘could be so much better’

Last night was the first meeting with the Hurricanes in a four-day span. In between, a visit to Tampa Saturday. {Gulp.}

Islanders Reading

• The Isles opened up a lead (ye gods, Barzal’s speed), blew it, trailed going into the third period, and then redeemed themselves. [LHH | Newsday | NY Post | Isles | NHL | Canes Country]
• Before the game, Doug Weight discussed Anthony Beauvillier and Joshua Ho-Sang’s returns. [Newsday]
• Mathew Barzal doesn’t want to get caught up in all that Calder talk (but we can). [NY Post]
• Johnny Boychuk was all of them and all of us, bemoaning that awful second period. [Isles Insights]
• Despite the middle frame, Boychuk logged a +5 on the night, a feat not done since the age of Blake and Scatchard. [The Skinny]
• Bridgeport has a back-to-back this weekend, and three injured forwards (Connor Jones, Stephen Gionta, Ryan Bourque) are nearing returns but not definite. [CT Post]
• It was the Isles’ first home appearance since Veterans Day last week. Scott Mayfield discusses his brother’s military service. [Isles]
• And WHO IS A GOOD DOG? This military lab is a PUCK-DROPPING GOOD DOG. [Isles video]
• Speaking of non-goalies’ best friends, that Isles puppy calendar shoot Jenny covered was paw-esome, right? Here’s how to order your own. [Isles Formstack]

Doug Weight’s post-game was fun. He responded to Stan Fischler’s question about whether the high-scoring game was “fun.” “Awesome,” Weight said, channeling his player lens before going into why the second-period funk alarms him. “We could be so much better,” he said, before fielding more from Arthur Staple and Brian Compton in this clip:

As a reminder, the dads are in town (and presumably, per tradition, will follow down to golf-friendly Tampa). I bet Mr. Barzal is the most popular this go-around:

Elsewhere

• Last night’s scores included the Islanders’ next opponent, the tremendously frightening Tampa Bay Lightning, blowing up their old goalie Ben Bishop, plus the Capitals losing in regulation in Denver and the Flyers blowing a lead in the last minute and then losing in the shootout.
• Looking into that matchup, with the offense-crazy Lightning vs. the previously offense-crazy but now Hitchcock-restrained Stars, was an interesting experiment. [Sports Day]
• Longtime NHL goalie coach Jim Corsi and NHL assistant (and ex-Isle) Brad Shaw discuss the trend of more aggressive penalty killing factoring in more NHL goals. [NHL]
• You got the book: Luke Witkowski was suspended 10 games for that stupidity with the Wings and Flames the other night. Returning to the ice after being sent off. Mathew Tkachuk will also have a hearing.
• There has definitely been contact between the NHL and the NBA Rockets owner about bringing the NHL to Houston. The owner is saying all the right things, though (namely: acting more like Bill Foley in Vegas and less like Jim Balsillie). So someday, probably. [SB Nation]