Islanders Gameday(!) News: It’s good to be back, folks

Oh my God it’s happening! There’s Isles hockey today! [howls]

The Islanders host the Canucks this afternoon at Barclays Center. It’s the Islanders’ first game since January 21, when they took two points from the Rangers at the Garden.

Vancouver will be playing its third game since the All-Star break, so they may be a little further into the swing of things. The Islanders will have to come out flying, like they have ten days of energy, to fend them off.

Leave your FIG picks here.

Islanders News

If you’re taking the train to the game today, mind these LIRR service changes:

• Let’s preview the damn thing, shall we?
• The Islanders are, in fact, looking for that quick start today. Hope all that rust was shaken off. [Newsday]
• LISTEN: The PTIsles Podcast spoke with Arthur Staple regarding Mathew Barzal, potential trade targets, Cal Clutterbuck, and the playoff picture. [LHH Podcasts]
• The final installment of the Islanders player poll teaches us that the guys think Matt Martin is the most stylish—or at the very least, they didn’t want to ruffle his feathers by not naming him. [The Athletic]
• LISTEN: No Sleep Til Belmont caught up with Rebecca Seidenberg, wife of Dennis, who owns and operates Offseids Clothing, a concept boutique in Greenvale. [The Athletic Podcasts]
• LISTEN: Meanwhile, the Island Ice podcast caught up with Scott Mayfield (whose fiancée actually works at Offseids, ironically) and Andrew Gross answered your questions. [Newsday Podcasts]
• VIDEO: You saw the Islanders attempt to pronounce some Long Island town names yesterday, but what you didn’t see was them attempt to pronounce more of them. [Islanders]
• Stan Fischler recalls when the Islanders were battling for first place in the Patrick Division in 1988, the last time they won a division title. [Maven’s Memories]
• As you may have heard, Duane the Sabres fan came through with an incredible-if-overdone rant about Terry Pegula’s general failures, including some ridiculous knock-off jerseys for the alumni with incorrect names. It reminded Dan how it’s important to treat team alumni with respect, something Jon Ledecky and Scott Malkin have excelled at. [LHH]

If you get to the game early enough, you get to go home with one of these beauts:

Elsewhere

Last night’s NHL scores include the Golden Knights beating the Hurricanes for us, but the Penguins besting the Flyers in overtime, the Capitals topping the Senators, and the Rangers outlasting the Red Wings. The Metro remains tight.

• How does Zack Kassian’s new extension with the Oilers compare with some other contracts around the league? [Sportsnet]
• Robin Lehner is among the goalies that are intrigued by some new NHL statistics. [NHL]
• A fake New Jersey Devils Twitter account posted a lame-ass photoshop claiming New Jersey hired Gerard Gallant as their new coach and a major news outlet in Las Vegas bought it. Always look for the actual check mark, kids. [Awful Announcing]
• The team player polls produced some excellent chirps; guys are always willing to rag on their teammates. [The Athletic]
• The women’s 3-on-3 at the Skills Competition and the NHL ought to keep helping grow the women’s game. [SLGT]