Islanders News and Question of the Day: A couple games rescheduled, finally

We’re getting closer to New York Islanders hockey. We’re also still eight days away, as of now, from New York Islanders hockey. So, since the news is slow, let’s continue the question theme.

Question of the Day

Do you have a favorite or most memorable Islanders’ regular season game? I can name a bunch of favorite playoff games, but regular season games aren’t always as easy to remember.

One that jumps to mind purely for the on-ice action, for me and probably for many of you, is Friday Night Fights against the Penguins back in February 2011.

On the other hand, I distinctly remember going to see the Islanders play the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday, December 15, 2000; I may have referenced this on this blog before, but that was my sixth birthday, and it was the first time I saw the Islanders win a game live. It took a few attempts before I got to see my first win. I don’t remember how many games I saw before they won, but I think it was quite a bit because (1) the Islanders sucked back then and (2) tickets were dirt cheap—(2) is probably related to (1). But that was a fun and memorable night with my father.

Sound off in the comments with regular season games that stand out to you, whether or not you were there. Hopefully, you remember positive ones!

Islanders News

The NHL rescheduled some Islanders games:

• They’ll make their trip to Philadelphia now on January 18.
• The Isles were originally supposed to host Columbus on January 18; that game will be rescheduled later.
• They swapped arenas with the Toronto Maple Leafs—the Isles were supposed to go to Toronto on January 22 and host the Leafs on April 17, but now they will go to Canada in April.

Some other stuff:

• Call this some schedule fine-tuning, I guess. [NY Post]
• Lane Lambert, who Barry Trotz has always said deserved a head coaching gig in the NHL, is polishing his skills with this interim stint. He remains in charge of things with Trotz still out. [Newsday]
• On Sunday, the Bridgeport Islanders tied it in the third period, but they ultimately lost on the road to the Hershey Bears. [B-Isles]

Elsewhere

Last night’s NHL scores include Florida team thumpings: The Lightning won 7-2 on the road against the Blue Jackets, and the Panthers won 6-2 at home over the Flames. Also, the Devils fell behind the Bruins by one goal four times, but only tied it three times, losing in regulation.

• The NHL rescheduled one other game, too: The Flyers were supposed to host the Red Wings on January 18. That game, too, will be rescheduled later. [NHL]
• Elliotte Friedman says that the players will probably lose their weeks off in February, but it seems as though the league still wants to play 82 games and finish on April 29. [32 Thoughts]
• The Maple Leafs and Oilers will throw down again tonight, but Connor McDavid may miss because of Covid. [NHL] Auston Matthews, too, potentially knocking out both stars. [Sportsnet] Both teams had “contender” hype at various points this fall. How do they compare now? [Sportsnet]
• The Devils have lost Dougie Hamilton indefinitely to a broken jaw. He is having surgery on it today. [NHL]
• The Wild called up two recent first-round picks, Matt Boldy (2019) and Marco Rossi (2020). They will both make their NHL debuts on Thursday against the Bruins. [The Athletic]
• NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has asked the IOC to move ice hockey to the Summer Olympics. The IOC, mind you, is somehow worse at administering sports than the NHL. [Yahoo]