Islanders News: Everybody* loses

Based on the growing evidence of the past four weeks that the Islanders both 1) realize they have a significant problem yet 2) exhibit no hint of knowing how to fix it, I expected nothing other than a bad loss last night.

But 26 shots against in the first period...again? Now that, that I didn’t see coming. All the better that they exited that period with a 1-0 lead. At one point I found myself rooting for an Isles win not as a fan, but as a social observer curious to see how they would assess and react to playing abysmally yet coming out with two points.

Alas. Experiment canceled. They are who we thought they are, and even the volatile hockey gods decided to let that show on the scoreboard too.

Islanders Reading

You may have seen a lot of furor over Doug Weight’s post-game...shots, trying but flat, excitement in the building as a possible(?) shot at fan atmosphere. Here’s the full thing for sober after-day analysis. Probably not as bad as many of us reacted on the twitters last night, but no more promising, ultimately:

• About last night: The Isles were bad. Only Jaroslav Halak, who was good but overworked again, seems to partially know why. [LHH | Newsday | NHL | Islanders Insight | 3 Takeaways (LOL) | Cannon]
• Also bad last night? The Sound Tigers, for a fourth consecutive loss. “It’s not that we don’t do good things,” Brent Thompson said. “At the end of the day, we make mistakes and beat ourselves.” [CT Post | Soundin’ Off] Steve Bernier served a suspension last night. [Soundin’ Off]
• Headline for everyday since St. Nicholas Day: Doug Weight searching for answers. [Newsday]
• If you missed it last night, The Faithful were restless. “Snow Must Go” chants. Me, actually active on Twitter. [Post]
• Ross Johnston on being a fighter and being more than a fighter. [NY Post]
• In his first for The Athletic, Alex Novet examines the role the crappy forward depth has played. But the key point has been evident throughout this slide, and speaks to coaching as much as forward talent: “Fundamentally, the team is playing two different games: one when Tavares or Barzal is on the ice, and another when they are on the bench.” When you have no structural discipline, only all-world talents can make a difference on the NHL’s average coin-flip night. [The Athletic]
• Arthur Staple was on the PT Isles podcast and expanded a bit on his Q&A with Garth Snow and where Doug Weight is at.
• Everybody rips on Jason Chimera, but seriously: what happened to that guy? [Isles Blog]
• Dynasty Shocker: Clark Gillies is excited about the Isles returning to the Coliseum, the air space where he won four Stanley Cups and became a Hall of Famer. [Newsday]
• Anders Lee talks about the upcoming Kancer Jam. [Islanders Insight]
• You know that thing we promised to do as a condition of getting the Coliseum redevelopment contract? Well we’re not going to do it at all, unless you agree to not hold us to that commitment. [Newsday]

Elsewhere

Last night’s NHL scores include Penguins and Hurricanes regulation wins, a Devils shootout win over the Flyers, and a Rangers regulation loss but they’d already given up anyway.

• As noted above, Seattle has officially applied for an expansion team. [NHL]
• We have a trade to announce: So that Eugene Melnyk may save a little more money, Dion Phaneuf and Former Islander Nate Thompson were shipped to the Kings for Marion Gabornik and a Shore. Gotta say it makes me grateful to be an Islanders fan, which is unexpected. [Silver Seven | NHL | Jewels from the Crown]
• Elliotte Friedman’s 31 Thoughts include the dubious suggestion that no one thought the Islanders and Flames picks might be lottery picks when the Travis Hamonic trade was made. [Sportsnet]
• Hey Ovi, are you watching the Olympics? “Thanks, Bettman.” (Psst.: Bettman is the puppet for owners like yours!) [TSN]
• The all-time “almost was a Maple Leaf” file. [Down Goes Brown]
• That’s a former Avalanche ice girl rocking it at the Olympics. [NHL]
• Sebastian Korda traded his skates for a tennis racket. [ESPN]