Islanders News: Rematch with the champs coming up

The New York Islanders' long, international nightmare is nearly over. They have only two games left on their road trip, the second-longest ever and the longest to open a season in NHL history, and they’re both in the state of Florida.

First, a Stanley Cup Semifinal rematch with the Tampa Bay Lightning. The last time we saw them was also in Tampa; it was Game 7. They look a little different now, though.

Lastly, it’s a second-game-of-the-season rematch, with the Islanders making their second trek of the season and of the road trip to Sunrise, Florida, the home of the Florida Panthers.

It’s back-to-back games followed by three days off. Explain that to me.

Islanders News

• Tomorrow night’s game will be Andy Greene’s 1,000th in the NHL. He will be the 18th undrafted free agent to reach the mark, and he has Lou Lamoriello to thank. His teammates and coaches love him. [Newsday]
• Barry Trotz wants more energy from his power play. [Newsday]
• Matt Moulson went on Spittin’ Chiclets and, for the first time, expressed how he felt after Garth Snow traded him to the Buffalo Sabres. He was... not happy. [NYI Hockey Now]
• Shaquille O’Neal was at UBS Arena last week to promote his Big Shaq Chicken restaurant, which will be on the concourse and will serve a sandwich called “The Islander.” [NHL | Isles Photos]
• You all remember Ken Morrow’s OT winner to eliminate the Rangers in 1984, right? Well, there was a battle in Stan Fischler’s studio, too. [Maven’s Memories]
• You can bid on Hockey Fights Cancer practice or warm-up jerseys. I think the Isles’ HFC game is on the 26th against the Pittsburgh Penguins. [Islanders]

Elsewhere

Last night’s and Friday night’s NHL scores. On Friday, the Flyers beat the Hurricanes. Then, on Saturday, the Hurricanes topped the Blues while the Flyers lost to the Stars. Hockey is a funny game. Also, the Panthers have lost four straight, their last two coming on Friday and Saturday, both in extra time.

• The 2020 Hockey Hall of Fame class was finally inducted this weekend. It had been a long time coming for these guys, including Jarome Iginla and Marian Hossa. [NHL]
• Iginla took a few years before he became the Hall of Famer we know him to be now. Doubt crept in on him. But he overcame it. [NHL]
• And Iginla doesn’t feel like he was robbed of the Hart Trophy or the Stanley Cup, even though he missed them by razor-thin margins in 2001-02 and 2003-04, respectively. [Sportsnet]
• Sidney Crosby, with whom Iginla collaborated for one of Canada’s most important goals of all-time, might return to the Penguins lineup tonight. [NHL]
• The Vegas Golden Knights say that Jack Eichel’s disk surgery went well, and now he is recovering. [NHL | Sportsnet]
• The injuries keep piling up for the Avalanche—the latest is Bowen Byram, who took an elbow to the head against the Sharks. [The Athletic]
• Travis Yost writes that the Calgary Flames’ core has come back to life under Darryl Sutter. [TSN]
• NHL All-Star Weekend will be in Las Vegas in early February. The league wants to have some of the Skills Competition take place on the Vegas Strip. [ESPN]
• Braydon Coburn, whose final three games came in an Islanders uniform, announced his retirement after 16 seasons in the NHL. [NHL]
• Saying that the Chicago Blackhawks have not proceeded with settlement talks, Kyle Beach’s lawyer asked the court to move forward to discovery. [TSN]
• Jeff Marek was joined by “The Goalie Whisperer,” Kevin Woodley, and they analyze the different styles of some of the league’s top Russian goalies. [32 Goalie Thoughts Podcast]