The Islanders and 25 other teams across the NHL return to action today and tonight (6 p.m. start for the Isles) as the league emerges from the holiday break, welcomed by a blanket of snow.
It wouldn’t be the holidays without at least one visit from your awkward, overbearing relatives with an inflated sense of self-importance and ugly outfit. Fitting, thenm that tonight’s visitors are the Rangers, who are just two points behind in the ever-tight Metro Division. The pre-break regulation win over the Devils
— thanks to Adam Pelech’s late GWG — added two points to their ledger and none for the Devils, creating a three-point gap there. It looks like the standings are going to be an up-and-down theater all season long, but if things concluded today the Islanders would open the playoffs as the road team against the Flyers.
And yet, both teams (and the Rangers, too, currently just outside the wild card) could very easily miss the playoffs when it’s all said and done.
First Islanders Goal picks go here.
Islanders News
- Previewing tonight: Ilya Sorokin is expected to be available, but we’ll probably hear more this morning. [Isles]
- There should be no shortage of motivation for the Isles coming out of the break and hosting the Smurfs. [Newsday]
- And this WWII vet — the excessive C in his name must be for captaincy — a 104-year-old saxophonist and immigrant, will perform the national anthem today. [Newsday | Post]
- With five Islanders in this year’s WJC, some active Islanders reflect on their experience in the annual holiday-bridging tournament. [Isles]
- Speaking of which, goals in the WJC openers for Tomas Poletin (Czechia), Cole Eiserman (USA) and Victor Eklund (Sweden). [THN]
- WJC roundup: Poletin scored twice for the Czechs, but they fell to Canada, 7-5. [NHL]
- Meanwhile, these Islanders are in the conversation for their countries’ Olympic teams. [Post]
- The latest Weird Islanders covers a Snow draftee who has finally become a depended-upon NHL regular (for other teams) after nearly 300 games in the minors, plus a Ukrainian waiver claim who was a mirage. [Weird Islanders podcast]
- Marshall Warren enjoyed finally getting to play for the Isles on Long Island. [Post]
Elsewhere
No games over the three-day break, but 13 on the docket tonight.
- Here’s a WJC guide of teams and players to watch. [ESPN]
- The ECHL players went on strike. [Sportsnet]
- After firing Marc Savard, the Leafs have added Steve Sullivan as an assistant. He had been working with their AHL team. [Sportsnet]
- They’ll also finally get Chris Tanev back, someon they sorely missed. [TSN]
- Marc-Andre Fleury may not be done after all. [Sportsnet]
