Islanders Gameday News: Nelson has been pretty, pretty, pretty good

The Capitals come to Brooklyn tonight in their first meeting with the Islanders this season. Which, of course, means it will be Barry Trotz’s first time playing, err... coaching, against his most recently-coached team.

Leave your FIGs for the game here.

Islanders News

Recaps from the third beating of the Hurricanes of the season: [LHH | Newsday | Islanders | NHL | NYI Skinny for both games of the Thanksgiving weekend back-to-back]

And some highlights, for your viewing pleasure:

• Brock Nelson has handled his permanent promotion to a top 6 center role well: he leads the team in goals as of this writing. [Islanders]
• The Sound Tigers lost both halves of the home-and-home set with the Wolf Pack in Hartford largely due to their penalty-taking. The second game was their first regulation loss in three weeks. [CT Post on game 1 | CT Post on game 2 | Soundin’ Off on game 2 | Sound Tigers on game 2]
• Bridgeport did rebound to defeat Springfield at home in the third game of a classic AHL 3-in-3 over a weekend, but didn’t reduce the number of penalties they took. Steve Bernier did have a hat trick, though. [Soundin’ Off | Sound Tigers]
• The Kids are Alright is how I’m going to describe the Islanders Prospect Report when I’m lazy or rushed from now on, m’kay? [Islanders]
• Do you like puppies? Of course you do. Well the Pucks and Paws Calendar is on sale now! See your favorite Islanders hanging out with dogs, AND be able to keep appointments and know what day today is. [Islanders]

Elsewhere

NHL scores from an action-packed Saturday and a more quiet Sunday.

• One of those games Saturday saw Patrik Laine score five (5) goals en route to the Jets’ 8-4 road victory against the Blues. [NHL]
• Late last night, a trade of sizable proportions took place between two familiar partners, the Coyotes and Blackhawks. Chicago sent Nick Schmaltz, a guy for whom they’d cleared a ton of cap space, to Arizona for Brendan Perlini and Dylan Strome. Everyone traded was a former first-round pick, and the trade signifies that the ‘Yotes have given up on the middle Strome brother, who was selected no. 3 overall in 2015. Y’know, right behind Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel, and just before Mitch Marner. [NHL | SCH]
• Jesse Puljujarvi caught the short end of the stick numerous times under previous coach Todd McLellan, but new coach Ken Hitchcock understands the importance of the former no. 4 overall pick. [Edmonton Journal]
• One of the NHL’s most passionate, colorful referees passed away over the weekend in Mick McGeough. He suffered a stroke. He was 62. Our condolences to his family and loved ones. [Sportsnet]