Islanders Update: Overtime Blues, but positive injury news

Because they’re the two teams I watch quasi-religiously, it’s always fascinating (and often agonizing) to watch the Islanders and Blues meet — especially during the rare eras, like the present, when both are actually fielding good teams.

Last night the Isles looked outstanding in the first period against the Blues, who did not have the jump or attention they have when they’re going right, which is a lapse they’ve shown from time to time this season.

Not surprisingly, the second period was different. The Isles encountered a new opponent from then on out. It took them quite a while to adjust; hockey is filled with such in-game push-and-pull adjustments. Ultimately, in a bit of a reversal of the Blues’ visit to New York this season, the home team finally got the timely goal and the right play in overtime.

Considering how things looked after Tuesday night, I’ll take the point and the not-disastrous news on the injury front, since Michael Dal Colle played last night and Andy Greene took the morning skate. The Islanders wake up today still in the first wild card spot.

Tomorrow, it’s back home for an afternoon start as they raise Butch Goring’s #91 jersey to the rafters. With $9 beers and $1 pretzels, which is...I still can’t believe a $9 beer is a promo “discount” but here we are.

Islanders News

About last night: “In the second period I thought we refused to get pucks behind their D. Their D have a lot of length, good sticks, and they track, they play a 200-foot game, so they always have back pressure. And we [tried] to play an East-West lateral game, and when you have no space to do that you’re just going to turn pucks over. Therefore we were unwilling to play the game that was presented.” Trotz was a little happier with how the second half of the second period and the third period played out though.

• Recaps: LHH | Newsday | Isles | NHL | STLtoday
• As referenced, the injuries to Dal Colle and Greene appear to be not serious. [Newsday]
• As he demonstrated again last night, Jean-Gabriel Pageau is a good fit for the Islanders. [NHL]
• The Isles dads, including Papa Pageau, enjoyed their trip. [Newsday]
• Noel’s latest Lighthouse Lookback talked to Graeme Townshend, the first Jamaican-born NHLer and a former pupil of Goring’s. [LHH]
• Could the Zach Parise and Andrew Ladd + trade be revisited? The TSN Insiders have no idea, but they are going to headline this story as if they do. [TSN]
• The Sound Tigers have a new president this season, and he’s seen ups and downs but is intent on making positive changes for a “passionate” fanbase. [CT Insider]
• They have another busy weekend ahead. [CT Insider]
• What do the players and coaches think of these three-in-three’s? “Disorienting,” exhausting, through the ringer. [Sound Tigers]
• The Rangers agree with the league and think Jacob Trouba’s hit to Michael Dal Colle’s head was fine, naturally. [Post]

Elsewhere

Last night’s other NHL scores include the Rangers overcoming a 2-0 deficit to beat the Habs, 5-2, for a five-game win streak (cute!) and the Capitals being shut out in Winnipeg. For wild card purposes, Toronto beat the Panthers.

• The Hurricanes are opposed to rentals, so they didn’t acquire Robin Lehner, and now they go into a back-to-back without either of their top two goalies. [NHL]
• Pretty awesome: In his return from rehab, Bobby Ryan scored a hat trick and was serenaded by the Ottawa crowd. [NHL]
• What a night: Mikael Granlund tied it for Nashville with .1 seconds left, then scored the OT winner. Whoa, Calgary. [NHL]
• Is Brady Skjei good? [The Energy Line]
• The Seattle expansion team has broken ground on its practice rink “training complex.” [NHL]
• Troy Brouwer, who started the season as a PTO in Florida, was signed mid-season when injuries hit the Blues, and has been assigned to the AHL twice (without actually going anywhere), has had a weird season. [STL Today]