Islanders News: Neal before the Oilers

Last night was a dud in almost every possible way. I mean, they lost to Mikko Koskinen, who had a leisurely evening. Barry Trotz is considering multiple line changes in response.

But first, some bright spots. Noah Dobson’s first NHL point was pretty sweet — serving up a tap-in for Matt Martin is a nice feat — and he wasn’t to blame for any of the mess out there:

Also, milestone and memories as last night was #800 (regular season games) for Josh Bailey.

And I guess the Islanders won the majority of faceoffs, a point of focus early in the season. So there’s that.

Islanders News

• Oh, but about the 5-2 loss: The Islanders got an early shorthanded goal, but the penalty trouble continued and James Neal’s four goals made them pay. [LHH | Newsday | NHL | Copper n Blue | Islanders Insight | ]
• Anders Lee: ”It wasn’t a very good effort. Top to bottom, we were just kind of all over the place. We gave them too much room, didn’t close on them and we were sloppy.”
• Trotz on Dobson: “I thought he did really well. ... He’s got great instincts. Needs a little strength, but the hockey IQ, the poise is outstanding.” Dobson called his NHL debut “surreal.” [Newsday | Isles]
• And here was more from Dobson before it all happened. [Isles]
• The AHL suspended Paul Thompson two games for his headshot on Thomas Hickey. [AHL]
• The Sound Tigers will be hosting a NWHL-AHL double-header in Bridgeport. [NWHL]
• Bridgeport’s opening week: Two first-period leads, only one point to show for it. Simon Holmstrom’s debut. [Isles | Sound Tigers]
• Andrew Gross spoke with Derick Brassard on the second episode of his podcast. [Newsday]

Here’s Trotz’s full post-game scrum. Unhappy Barry:

Elsewhere

Last night’s NHL scores include the Jets thumping the Penguins to help salvage their road trip, and the Kings prevailing in a riveting OT meet with the Flames. (For those rivalry scoring at home, Drew Doughty scored the winner and trolled the Calgary crowd, while Matthew Tkachuk netted two.)

• Neal is feeling quite refreshed with his start in Edmonton, after flailing in a bottom-six role in Calgary. [NHL]
• The Sharks tied a franchise-worst fourth straight loss to begin the season. [NHL]
• But it’s okay, Patrick Marleau is on the way for a teal reunion. [Fear The Fin]
• Meanwhile, the Hurricanes — the Islanders’ next opponent on Friday — are off to a franchise-best start. [NHL]
• Oh hey there are future free agents from the Toronto area. Among the 31 Thoughts. [Sportsnet]
• NBC Sports is starting an NHL podcast with all your least favorite people. [NBC]
• Ben Chariot adapted his approach while switching from the Jets to Canadiens. [Sportsnet]