Islanders Gameday News: Keep the slide from becoming a slump

The Islanders are in that early season, proto-planet stage where you’re not sure what they’re going to become (though I know you have opinions. Bossy knows you have strong opinions). So tonight they bring a winless streak of three games into their meeting with the Ottawa Senators.

Defense has been an issue, and they’ve been without Scott Mayfield (whose loss shouldn’t be backbreaking). The power play has been...the power play. And the lines have been tinkered with in the infinite quest to find the right mix.

Leave your FIG picks here.

Islanders News

• Previewing tonight, a 7:30 start. [Isles]
• With Mayfield out, the Isles defense is trying to pick up the slack. [Newsday]
• Yesterday’s practice focused on structure. [THN]
• Yes, Hoppy the Bunny is mentioned: The latest Isles Talk features P.A. “you’re #$%( kidding me” Parenteau. [Isles]

NHL News

• 32 Thoughts: Evidently only media care about having a centralized draft, because the GMs are mostly in favor of breaking it up. [NHL] Lou is one of the firm advocates for decentralization, especially with the absurd schedule of having free agency open right afterward. [Athletic]
• Wild captain Jared Spurgeon, an Islanders draft picked Garth Snow never signed in one of his longer lasting mistakes, has been placed on LTIR. [NHL]
• The Hurricanes lose Brett Pesce for 2-4 weeks. [NHL]
• The Oilers lost again, 7-4 to the Wild. That’s a 1-4-1 start for a team that some have somehow concluded are Cup contenders. [TSN]
• Brady Tkachuk is coming off a vengeance beating of Alex Tuch. [NY Post]
• The NHL finally has its player tracking data up for sharing, and of course everyone’s second-favorite Dom has critiques for how to improve it. [Athletic]