Islanders Gameday News: Solace in humiliating a rival

Jaroslav Halak made 50 saves for the shutout last night as the Islanders beat the Rangers for the sixth consecutive time.

It wasn’t one of those “Holy cow, he stood on his head!” Ron Tugnutt-terrible-Nordiques-70-saves-vs-Bruins record kinds of performances though. I don’t know, I love that he finally got a reward for all of his work these last few weeks. But somehow the Rangers are so bad they can make 50 shots look cute and benign.

Still though. A 50-save shutout puts him in a curious record book befitting this curious season.

The Islanders are in Raleigh to face the Hurricanes tonight. Leave your FIG picks here.

Islanders Reading

• About last night: Shouldn’t a shutout of a lifeless rival feel better than this? [LHH | Newsday | Isles | NHL | Islanders Insight] Halak discusses his shutout [MSG]
• The Rangers are so fragile they were done once the Isles made it 2-0, and “All the losses we have this year hurt, but this one really stings,” winger Mats Zuccarello said. [Post]
• Barzal on facing the Rangers: “I don’t know if it’s the Rangers, but just the whole magnitude and feeling of the rivalry. You can kind of just feel it in the air when the Rangers and Islanders play and that’s what I’ve kind of got from the last three times. I love that feeling. It’s the NHL. It felt like a playoff atmosphere right out of the gate.” [WrightsWay Twitters]
• Don’t look now but perhaps Ross Johnston is fitting in on the fourth line. [Isles]
• Arthur Staple talked with Kyle Okposo, Frans Nielsen, Colin McDonald, PK Subban to get a read on what John Tavares might be thinking in his approach to his next contract. [The Athletic]
• In the most absurd story of the day, a crowdfund for an anti-Snow billboard inadvertently dragged Anders Lee and his charity into a wee row. With everything else going on in the world, my concern for this offshoot story is 0 on a scale of 1 to 100. But the fan unrest has gotten some media coverage, so there’s that. [Post | Daily News | Sportsnet]
• Kieffer Bellows is flying high in Portland. [THW]
• Gary Bettman is excited about the Islanders future because money, and gets in another dig at the underwhelming Nassau Coliseum renovation. [Newsday]
• Pass the time and lighten up your broadcast experience with some Butch Goring bingo. [LHH Fanpost]
• On Belmont: Lots at stake in the renovation and revitalization beyond the arena. [LIBN] Joe Lhota will recuse himself on MTA decisions about the LIRR and Belmont because he is on the MSG board. [Newsday]
• Josh Ho-Sang practiced with contact yesterday, but still not clear if he will be ready to go this weekend. [Soundin’ Off]
• The nomadic life of new Sound Tiger Benoit. [CT Post]
• The ECHL success of the first-year Worcester Railers, which is good for the whole organization. [CT Post]

Elsewhere

Last night’s NHL scores include the Hurricanes, tonight’s Isles opponent, losing big to Jersey.

• What’s eating David Pastrnak? [Boston Globe]
• Chris DiDomenico (who could have perhaps been claimed by the Isles two days ago) was traded by the Senators for former Isles prospect Ville Pokka, one of the pieces in the Nick Leddy trade. [Silver Seven]
• More bad news for the Oilers as key defenseman Sekera is back on IR. [C&B]
• The mental side of the trade deadline: It’s hard on players | It’s emotional for coaches | [NHL]
• Trade gossip: The Canucks may sell off vets (of course), the Bruins are reluctant to tinker with what’s working. [NHL]
• Luc Robitaille basically says the Kings will do whatever on earth it might take to re-sign Drew Doughty. [TSN]
• Milan Lucic realizes he’s kinda slow. [Sporstnet]
• Jim Corsi says teams are much more strategic in their approach to 3-on-3 overtime now. [NHL]