Islanders Gameday News: Two teams in the ditch

The New York Islanders (5-10-5) take their remarkable 11-game winless streak to Ottawa, where the Senators have an even more abysmal record (7-15-1), but are coming off a shootout win in Newark last night to make a nice little three-game win streak for the first time this season.

The Islanders haven’t won in over a month, though they must grasp some solace from having reached overtime in their last three games and steadily getting their COVID players back. Casey Cizikas is the last guy remaining out on COVID protocol, while Brock Nelson and Ryan Pulock remain out due to non-viral injuries.

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Islanders News

First, how are the key absences doing?

Here’s Barry Trotz’s pre-game availability. He says Matt Martin is available:

• Official site game preview.
• After his late equalizer, you knew this would be the between games topic: It took some injuries and an increased role, but Noah Dobson is starting to blossom. [Post | Newsday]
• It’s a new, Islanders-specific home for the home team, but UBS Arena is also meant to be a premier concert space and make the location a can’t miss tourist destination. [Sports Business Journal]
• The always-heartwarming Islanders holiday toy shopping event. [Isles photos]
• Andy Andreoff scored in his return to the Baby Islanders, but Bridgeport lost to Charlotte. [BP Isles]
• On Ted Nolan, who has not found NHL work since his brief stints with the Islanders and return to Buffalo. [TSN]

Elsewhere

Last night’s NHL scores include the aforementioned Devils shootout loss, the Flyers giving up 7 again in Mike Yeo’s debut as head guy, the Penguins torching the Kraken and the Capitals picking up a shootout win. #MetroNeverStops

• Continuing a metaphor for their season, a dog took a dump on the Flyers logo at center ice. [Broad Street Hockey]
• With big summer signing Linus Ullmark sick, the guy he theoretically replaced, Tuukka Rask, is back skating! Drama shall ensue. [NHL]
• BRUUUUUUCE. In their first game under Bruce Boudreau, the Canucks shut out the Kings, 4-0. [Vancouver is Awesome | Nucks Misconduct]
• Meanwhile, the Canucks owner says “everything is on the table” for overhauling the front office. [Sportsnet]
• First-quarter goalie confidence rankings: Not the problem for the Isles, but a pretty big issue in Seattle. [ESPN]
• Neal Pionk has been suspended two games for the knee-on-knee hit on Rasmus Sandin that sent the Jets-Leafs game into a gong show. [TSN] That puts Sandin on IR, but ironically Mitch Marner also goes on IR due to a friendly-fire shoulder injury. [TSN]
• Don’t look now but Matt Duchene figured out how to play high-level hockey again. [ESPN]
• Robin Lehner says the restrictions and uncertainty around going to China for the Olympics has him declining Sweden’s invitation to be on the team. [ESPN]
• Meanwhile, the IIHF confirms China can have a team in the Olympic tourney, where they are bound to get trounced unless food poisoning or something is in play. [Sportsnet]