Islanders Gameday News: Great day for a ballgame; let’s play two!

For the second time this week, the Islanders will be looking to wash out the taste of a loss to the Rangers, the latest probably more painful even than Monday’s blowout.

On Tuesday night, they responded to that blowout emphatically with a blowout of their own, dropping eight goals on the Red Wings. But Detroit is historically awful this season, so it didn’t carry with it the normal satisfaction that comes with a palette cleansing win. It didn’t really instill any confidence.

Today’s game, though, against the rival Capitals, has the potential to really lift some spirits. Washington has led the league in standings points pretty much the entire season, but they’ve only split the season series with the Islanders, each team having taken a game in regulation. A win this afternoon, preferably in regulation, would be quite the palette cleanser. Certainly would instill some confidence.

FIGs go here.

Islanders News

• Let’s preview the damn thing, shall we?
• They didn’t practice yesterday; lazy bums, the lot of you!

• The Islanders went 0/5 on the power play on Thursday, which was part of their undoing. They’ll have to take advantage of those situations in Metro Division games as the division tightens. [Newsday]
• Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren was only fined—but it was the maximum amount!!!—for his ugly interference against Jordan Eberle, when he shoved him head-first into the iron post. Not exactly a reassuring penalty from DOPS, as per usual. Even better is Lindgren was just suspended like a week ago for two games his head shot of Joonas Donskoi. Great work, guys. You showed him! [NHL]
• The Sound Tigers beat the Providence Bruins 2-1 on the road last night. Oliver Wahlstrom scored a goal, as did Otto Koivula on the power play, assisted by both Wahlstrom and Kieffer Bellows. Goalie Jared Coreau made 43 saves on 44 shots. [Soundin’ Off lines | Sound Tigers recap]

• Dan returns with another Tao of Trotz article, this one with a bit of a grounding presence. [LHH]
• The Easter Epic was the culmination of a 3-1 series comeback against the Capitals in 1987. They faced the Philly in the Patrick Division Final and nearly pulled off the same feat, falling in Game 7 to the eventual Wales Conference champion Flyers. [Maven’s Memories]
• PHOTOS: Check out some snapshots from the Charles B. Wang Hope Cup, the 12th annual international peewee tournament. [Islanders]

Elsewhere

Last night’s NHL scores include the Penguins beating the Red Wings in overtime, the Ducks beating the Hurricanes in overtime, and Tampa Bay smashing the Jets behind an Anthony Cirelli hat trick. I think the Lightning are back.

• It was Carolina’s first game without Dougie Hamilton, who suffered a broken fibula last night against the Blue Jackets. He had successful surgery to repair it and he is out indefinitely. [NHL] Fellow ‘Canes defenseman Jaccob Slavin will replace Hamilton at the All-Star Game. [NHL]
• The Bruins placed David Backes on waivers; with his contract, he’ll almost certainly go unclaimed. [NHL]
• The Bolts put defenseman Luke Schenn on waivers, as well. He’s on a league-minimum one-year contract, so I can see a team with defensive depth issues putting in a claim. [Raw Charge]
• You ever notice how many of the league’s best defensemen are Swedish? How did that come to be? [ESPN]