Islanders News: Stepping up for a big game; Podcasts galore

Ah, now that’s more like it. The crazy part is that I fully expected the Islanders to look like that last night. It’s hard to completely suffocate a good team like the Blue Jackets, but they capitalized on the opportunities they were given and then gave away as few inches as possible in the third. They extended their lead in the division over Columbus to seven points, and held pace with the Capitals, who won last night.

Islanders News

Relive the cannon-blast-less glory, fueled by two goals from Casey Cizikas and another shutout (and an assist!) for Thomas Greiss: LHH | Newsday | Islanders | NHL | NYI Skinny

• For the game last night, coach Barry Trotz decided to give Michael Dal Colle a breather and put Tom Kuhnhackl in his stead on Mathew Barzal’s left wing — and it paid off, with Kuhnhackl earning a primary assist when his shot left a juicy rebound for Josh Bailey to pot. [Newsday]
• During Bob McKenzie’s regular appearance on NBCSN Wednesday Night Hockey, he mentioned the tweet I had linked yesterday about leaning toward the Coliseum for the playoffs. He also said “Lou’s in the business of trying to win Cups.” He thinks Lou Lamoriello will add. [Nichols on Hockey]
• With the upcoming three-in-three’s, Sound Tigers coach Brent Thompson wants his guys put in a position to succeed, so Josh Ho-Sang will likely sit for tonight’s game - nothing in particular about Ho-Sang’s game, though. [Soundin’ Off]
• Travis Flynn dissects whether it’s the goaltending or team defense (or both) that make it so difficult to score on Barry Trotz’s Islanders. [LHH]

Trotz liked his team’s response to a big challenge last night:

The Islanders Podcast Section

• The Isle Seat Podcast hosted Chris King to talk Isles and Jonathan Davis, from Sirius XM NHL Radio, to mull over potential trade targets on the Kings and Ducks.
• The PTIsles Podcast hosted Brian Compton as they discussed Tuesday night’s rare lackluster performance and whether or not the Islanders should be big game hunting.
• And the Islanders Anxiety episode this week talked about the Islanders’ offensive struggles, as well as the status of Belmont and of the Coliseum toilets.

Elsewhere

Last night’s NHL scores include Washington’s victory on the road against the Sharks and the Lightning’s 6-0 thumping of the Stars.

• The NHL’s Black History Month spotlight covers Seth Jones today, a stellar defenseman playing for last night’s opponent. [NHL]
• Remember when Shane Doan scored that hat trick against the Islanders back in 2011-12? Turns out it was his first ever, and he got the last goal with like a tenth of a second on the clock. [The Athletic]
• Pierre LeBrun and Scott Burnside’s Two-Man Advantage Podcast featured Blues GM Doug Armstrong — you can read the transcript if you don’t have the time at work to listen, but the player is at the bottom of the article if you do want to hear it. [The Athletic]