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Islanders News: Sweeping the Penguins

Last night was fun, and tense in a “this is a great game” rather than a “they’re going to crash any moment now” way.

By Dominik

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Pittsburgh Penguins v New York Islanders
NO ONE expect the German Inquisition.
Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

The Islanders swept* a home-and-home with the Pittsburgh Penguins, not something I can say I expected this year, though something I’d think would eventually be worth expecting in the Barry Trotz Era.

(*shootout asterisk alert)

The best part is the Islanders played well through most of all third period. While the Pens have the firepower, if you didn’t know either roster you’d think these teams were fairly evenly matched.

Islanders Reading

  • About last night: Greiss stopped Crosby twice, solo, doing a Dubi in live OT action before following up with a shootout stop. [LHH | Isles | NHL | NBC | Newsday | Post | Islanders Insight | NYI Skinny]
  • On Mathew Barzal’s “erratic” start to the season and the advice he’s getting from his head coach. [NY Post]
  • Ryan Hitchcock isn’t far from his Yale college haunts, nor far from his Long Island birthplace, but in his first pro year he’s trying hard to stay focused on the hockey. Brent Thompson gives him the “Hockey IQ off the charts” compliment. [CT Post]
  • Meanwhile, from Sound Tigers practice, where they’re preparing for a three-in-three: Tom Kuhnhackl not on the ice (yet?), considered an off day, and perhaps just buying time until a recall if another roster move is made. [Soundin’ Off]
  • The Isles resume the Hockey Fights Cancer campaign. [NHL]

Elsewhere

Last night’s NHL scores include the Leafs losing at home to Dallas, the Capitals losing in Montreal, the Devils losing in Detroit, and more.

  • In Finland, Patrick Laine scored a hat trick in front of his native fans. [Arctic Ice Hockey]
  • Steve Valiquette’s radical approach to goalie analytics is labor intensive and rather interesting. It’s an impressive approach to trying to blend objective tracking with “played the game” insight. [Athletic]
  • That’s an approach that’s probably necessary, especially when goalies like Ben Bishop will throw the analytics insight out with the incomplete data bathwater and resort to saying the only number that matters is wins. (Which is true, ultimately: But the goalie “wins” stat doesn’t tell you much, and can in fact mislead.) [ESPN]
  • Henrik Lundqvist would like to stop handling questions about whether he’s committed to sticking it out with the Rangers rebuild. Because he is. He’s said so. Repeatedly. [Post]
  • Brother and sister as each other’s biggest fan in the NWHL and NHL. [NWHL]

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