Islanders Gameday News: Home sweet home (for the Isles)

Good morning from Sanibel, Florida, folks. Beautiful weather. Nice and warm and vacationey - in fact, as you're reading this, I'm probably sleeping. So, good night I suppose! And be safe in the snowstorm! Glad I got away from that. :)

The Islanders, however, are finally back home after their 9-game excursion throughout North America, playing their first home game since February 19 against the Devils. They play a back-to-back home-and-home set with the Carolina Hurricanes tonight and tomorrow night. Tonight's game is in Barclays Center, a 7:30 p.m. start on NBCSN. You can leave your FIGs here.

Islanders Givings

• The boys are back in town, (NSFW) and they couldn't be happier about it. But they know they still have work to do. [Newsday]
• Stan Fischler discusses the Islanders playoff push, as well as the Rangers' grit and the Devils giving Cory Schneider a breather in his tri-state area-centric "30 Thoughts." [MSG]
• The Swede, Linus Soderstrom, and the Russian, Ilya Sorokin, are both performing quite well in their respective leagues. Soderstrom's contract is up, so he may have the more direct path to the NHL than Sorokin, who's deal in Russia still has another year left. [Eyes on Isles]
• After getting pulled in the first the night before, Jaroslav Halak rebounded and had an assist on Michael Dal Colle's power play goal (one of three PPGs for Bridgeport) in the Sound Tigers' win over the Hartford Wolf Pack. [CT Post | Soundin' Off]
• Short-time Islander Ryan Smyth was injured by a blindside elbow to the head in his senior men's league playoff game, and was out cold. Hope he's okay - I wanted to make a Ryan Smyth crying joke, but it just doesn't feel right. [NBCSN]

Leaguewide Receivings

• Last night's NHL scores.
• Casey Mittlestadt is Minnesota's Mr. Hockey for 2017. Nick Leddy earned the distinction back in 2009. [SBN College]
• Kevin Shattenkirk's charge earned him a two-game suspension. [NHL.com]
• The Penguins may have screwed up their post-deadline call-up situation for the second time in three years. [Pensburgh]
• The NHL has decided to keep their expansion draft lists private. Good for the GMs, bad for everyone else. The NHL not making it fun for the fans? No way! [Second City Hockey]
• And finally, a new video game called Old Time Hockey comes out on March 28 and is basically Slap Shot in video game form, complete with old-time violence and silly made-up minor league team names. One of them is based out of Commack and is called the "Long Island Rumrunners." Seems accurate. [Puck Daddy]