Islanders Gameday News: Great game against the B’s should feed tonight’s match at MSG

The Islanders face their most-hated rivals tonight for the first time this season when they visit Madison Square Garden and the Rangers.

The Rangers look a little different from the last time the Islanders saw them. Ryan Strome, the Islanders’ pick at no. 5 overall back in 2011, is one of the Rangers’ top players. They’ve currently got a three-headed goalie monster in the NHL, between aging former superstar Henrik Lundqvist, a surprisingly good back-up in Alexandar Georgiev, and young phenom Igor Shesterkin, who just got called up last week. Oh, and they’ve got some guy named Artemi Panarin leading the way. Where have I heard of him before?

Anyway, the Islanders are coming off a great effort against one of the top teams in the league in the Boston Bruins, but lost a coin toss thanks to a weighted coin in the form of an overtime power play against. Hopefully they can keep it going against a porous but offensively talented Rangers team.

FIGs go here. Puck drop is at 7:00 p.m.

Islanders News

Recaps from the battle against Boston: LHH | Islanders | Newsday | NHL | NYI Skinny

Hear from the coach after Saturday night’s game:

• PODCAST: PTIsles reacts to Saturday night’s game and the comments made by Barry Trotz and Scott Mayfield. [LHH]
• The Islanders were able to use the Bruins game as a bit of a measuring stick. [Newsday]
• Now they’ll get ready for their first match-up with their cross-town rivals. Weird that the first time of the season is so late this year. [Newsday]
• Eric Hornick checks in on where the Islanders are at at mid-season in a special edition of the NYI Skinny.
• He also did an NYI Skinny on the Islanders’ historically low number of power play opportunities.
• Barry Trotz is still unsure of when Cal Clutterbuck will be able to return, but it definitely sounds like months, not weeks. [Newsday]

Radar is turning into an excellent service dog:

Elsewhere

Saturday night’s NHL scores include the Devils whooping the Capitals, the Flyers getting shut out by the Lightning, and the Hurricanes shutting out the Kings; and Sunday night’s NHL scores include the Penguins beating the Coyotes in the shootout and the Panthers beating the Maple Leafs 8-4.

• In a surprise move Sunday evening, the Devils fired GM Ray Shero and named assistant GM and former Islander Tom Fitzgerald as the interim GM. The move isn’t a complete surprise, but the timing, right before New Jersey hosted the Lightning, is a little surprising. [AATJ]
• Sidney Crosby did not return for the Pittsburgh-Arizona game as he was rumored to be doing. [NHL]
• The All-Star Last Men In are David Perron (Blues, Central), Quinn Hughes (Canucks, Pacific), Mitch Marner (Maple Leafs, Atlantic), and T.J. Oshie (Capitals, Metropolitan). No Brock Nelson :(. [NHL]
• Patrick Marleau played in his 1,700th NHL game Saturday night when the Sharks hosted the Stars. [NHL]
• Canadiens center and former Islander Nate Thompson opened up about his struggles with drug and alcohol addiction. [Sportsnet]