Islanders News: Okay good, they can beat Washington

Now that was a hell of a hockey game. It probably was not what Barry Trotz or Peter Laviolette wanted to see, but it’s never not fun to watch your team put up a snowman on the scoreboard.

The New York Islanders rag-dolled the Washington Capitals, even if they did not play the best defense of their lives. They scored eight (8!) even-strength goals.

And of course, Mathew Barzal played perhaps the best game of his career—a hat-trick where each goal involved a different facet of his unique skill set, five points, eight shots-on-goal, no goals against.

Islanders News

Recaps from a thorough domination:

• Dom @ LHH with the best quotes of the night.
• Islanders 5 Takeaways, including reinstating each multiple-goal lead.
• Newsday on the entertainment factor.
• NHL with the front-page story.
• NYI Skinny, including the Isles scoring four goals in the first period in consecutive home games (the previous one was March 20 against the Philadelphia Flyers) for the first time since 1980 and 1981.
• Barry with the goods:

Okay, and now for a few bits o’ Islanders news.

• Noah Dobson returned to the lineup for the first time since being pulled during the national anthem against the New Jersey Devils on March 14. [Newsday]
• Dare we say it: Leo Komarov may be settling in on the top line. Let me state that I do NOT think that he is a permanent solution, nor should he be. But that was a slick pass to Jordan Eberle on the first goal. [Newsday]
• The Sound Tigers begin the second half of their season this afternoon against the Hartford Wolf Pack. [Sound Tigers]

Elsewhere

Last night’s NHL scores include the Pittsburgh Penguins defeating the Boston Bruins in regulation and the New York Rangers beating the Buffalo Sabres in overtime after the Sabres forced overtime with four seconds left in regulation.

• Three more Vancouver Canucks games have been postponed for COVID-19 protocols; old friend Travis Hamonic joined Adam Gaudette on the protocol list. [NHL]
• Hamonic opted out of the bubble tournament last summer to protect his kids, one of whom dealt with a respiratory illness as an infant, and now he has tested positive for COVID-19. Best wishes to Hammer and his family. We hope everything is okay. [Sportsnet]
• Penguins President of Hockey Operations Brian Burke told the media that he and his team are in the market for a center at the Trade Deadline. Never subtle, that Burke. [NHL]
• Patrik Laine’s cold streak isn’t just bad luck; he’s not getting any chances. [Sportsnet]
• The NHL site dubbed Patrick Kane the midseason Hart Trophy winner, but he rightfully said that the award should be Connor McDavid’s. [NHL]
• The NHL fined Nathan MacKinnon $5,000 for returning Conor Garland’s helmet to him. [NHL] If you haven’t seen it, have a laugh: