Islanders Gameday: Measuring up to the Cup finalists

The Islanders return home from a long Western trip to face a couple of top teams.

After a California road trip that…should’ve gone better, the Islanders return home for a tough stretch where they host both of last season’s Stanley Cup finalists.

Anything can happen on any given day in the NHL, of course: their opponent after the Oilers and Panthers is the Penguins, who went 1-9 to sink their season before the 4 Nations but have now reeled off three meaningless wins in a row. But the Islanders find themselves in a fix of their own making, a position that most outside of their management team would’ve predicted they’d be in before this season even started.

We’re currently living in a world where, because Max Tsyplakov had a couple of costly turnovers in a game where they needed someone to try to make a difference, tonight against the Cup runners-up the Isles may field a lineup like this [NOTE: Later reports indicated this was just a practice day thing and not tonight’s intended lineup]:

Leave your First Islanders Goal / shutout picks here.

Islanders News

• Previewing tonight: The Oilers are going to eat them up, I suspect. [Isles]
• But the Oilers’ two stars can’t save that team alone, surely. [Sportsnet]
• More on Patrick Roy and Tsypkaov. (I don’t mind the honest and constructive criticism, but scratching him for a lineup that includes Martin-Fasching-Gatcomb would have been a bit much.) [Newsday]
• The post-Nelson, Barzal-injured forward situation is a mess, so why do this? [Post]
• Well what do you know, Adam Boqvist was held out of practice after the unpenalized hit that knocked him out of the Kings game. [Isles]
• Vote for a fan appreciation t-shirt design. [Isles]

Elsewhere

Thursday’s scores included the Devils beating the Oilers, 3-2, the Smurfs winning in OT over Minnesota, and the Senators winning again over Boston.

• The Leafs also lost to Florida for familiar reasons. [Sportsnet]
• Dougie Hamilton is out the remainder of the regular season. [NHL]
• Elias Pettersson — the really well paid one — is finding his footing again in Vancouver, maybe. [TSN]
• The GMs want clarity on the signing windows for NCAA and CHL draftees, and the league is also talking about expanding the regular season to 84 games, and keeping next year’s All-Star Game (on Long Island) even though it’s an Olympic year, too.