Islanders Back-to-Back News: They could definitely play a little better than this

It’s never fun to lose to a team that swept your team five months ago. Now, the Islanders will have to beat the Panthers, against whom they broke another bad streak, so maybe this is just what the doctor ordered.

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Islanders News

Recaps from another snoozefest: LHH | Islanders | Newsday | NHL | NYI Skinny

Barry Trotz thought they were better than they were the other night, but still not good enough, especially at 5v5:

• Tom Kuhnhackl made his season debut last night. [Newsday]
• He was able to draw in for Casey Cizikas, who is dealing with an unspecified injury. Nick Leddy also nursed a minor, unspecified injury. [Newsday]
• The baby Islanders, the Sound Tigers, visited the baby Hurricanes the Charlotte Checkers, defending AHL champs, and ended up pulling out their first victory of the season to spoil the Checkers’ banner night. And I think they’ll both do it again tonight. [Soundin’ Off preview | CT Post recap | Sound Tigers post-game]
• Stan Fischler recalls the beginning of the 1983-84 season as the Islanders began the Drive for Five. [Maven’s Memories]
• I honestly can’t believe this is a thing, but someone wrote a play—that was picked up—about the Islanders’ 2017-18 season and explored the crises of identity of the white male American. I wonder who plays Doug Weight. [NYTW]

Elsewhere

Only two other games in the NHL last night, including tonight’s opponent, the Panthers, forcing OT with eleven seconds left in regulation but then falling in the shootout to the Sabres.

• Many teams are doing like the Islanders and adding puppies to their rosters. [USA Today]
• Eric Duhatschek conducts a Q&A with Wayne Gretzky about his NHL debut, today’s style of play, and Canada’s hopes for a Stanley Cup. [The Athletic]

Unrelated to Hockey, But Still Awesome

Eliud Kipchoge is a trained marathon runner who set out to run the first sub-two-hour marathon in history, aiming for 1:59:50. He did it a full ten seconds quicker than that. According the New York Times, it isn’t officially recognized as a world record because it wasn’t an open marathon, but the 34-year-old Kenyan made, as he says, HISTORY!