Islanders Gameday News: Going for two

The New York Islanders return home after a quick trip up to the Canadian capital. They are back in town to host the Nashville Predators. The Islanders are still looking for their first win in their new home, UBS Arena at Belmont Park.

It’s also a chance for the Islanders to ride the wave of Tuesday night’s victory over the Ottawa Senators. Yes, Ottawa is not a good team. But the argument would go that a good team like the Islanders just needed something to knock them out of their spiral to get back on track—and it’s plausible for the Islanders.

I mean, look at the pundits discussing them being so far out at the Thanksgiving cut-off: No one has officially written them off because they know that the Isles could rip off a ten-game win streak to re-enter the race. But to win ten in a row, they must first win two in a row, and tonight is the Isles’ first chance to put together a little winning streak since their two-game winning streak in early November.

First Islander Goal picks go here. And look out for a new episode of Islanders Anxiety today.

Islanders News

• A preview of tonight’s contest at the ‘Yoob against Barry Trotz’s first NHL team. [Islanders]
• Darren Dreger went on Canadian radio to announce that Isles GM and President Lou Lamoriello will not just let the season go up in flames. [TSN]
• The Islanders are feeling a lot more confident after their first win in a month. [Newsday]
• Everything just feels different around the team. They didn’t sound like a funeral parlor after a game for once. [NY Post]
• They just “have to keep digging [them]selves out.” [amNY]
• Before Trotz puts Oliver Wahlstrom on the first line, he wants to see Wahlstrom “evolve.” [amNY]
• On the latest episode of Hockey Press Pass, Chris Botta plays an old clip of him interviewing Bill Torrey about the Pierre Turgeon and Steve Thomas trades, as well as drafting Darius Kasparaitis and Zigmund Palffy.
• The Anatoli Golyshev era is coming to an end. The KHL import who didn’t even get a game in during the COVID outbreak — not a good sign, that — is on waivers:

• Toy drive!

Elsewhere

Last night’s NHL scores include the Avalanche hanging a touchdown on the Rangers and the Devils shutting out the Flyers, bringing Philadelphia’s winless streak to ten games. Also, Bruce Boudreau is 2-0-0 with the Canucks.

• The latest twist in the mess of the Arizona Coyotes: The franchise may be locked out of their home arena, which they lease from the City of Glendale, for unpaid arena charges and delinquent tax bills. [The Athletic] The organization apologized for the embarrassment and swore that it was just an “oopsie.” [Sportsnet]
• Elliotte Friedman touches on the kneeing party in Winnipeg and the big changes that came to the Canucks and the Flyers. [32 Thoughts]
• Speaking of the kneeing party, Jason Spezza has filed an appeal of his six-game suspension. [NHL]
• Emily Kaplan relays the latest rumors she has heard involving Marc-Andre Fleury, Dylan Strome, and Evander Kane. [E$PN+]
• Forbes has released its latest NHL team valuations; the Islanders are up to no. 10 in the league at $950 million. Opening a brand new building and finding stability in the New York metro area will do that for you. [Forbes] Team values, on the whole, skyrocketed 32%. [Sportsnet]