Islanders Gameday News: Playing Carolina should help

Nothing the Islanders need more than a visit from the Candy Canes around Christmas.

I have no doubt that the New York Islanders will put forth a better effort this evening against the Carolina Hurricanes than they did Thursday night against the Seattle Kraken: It’s the first time the Islanders will play their division rival and playoff kryptonite since the Canes eliminated the Isles in five games back in April. There’s always extra juice against the team that beat you; you want to prove something.

Ultimately, though, that just may not matter because Carolina is clearly better than the Islanders. Last season, the Islanders hosted Carolina for the first matchup of the season series in early November on a Saturday night, and they went up 3-0. They were taking it to the team that took them out, getting their revenge.

Until they didn’t, that is, and they lost 4-3 in overtime. The Canes have some new faces, but they play a system built to integrate new faces and turn them into cogs in the machine. I hoped they’d take a step back with their roster moves, but evidently they have not. Thus, my hopes for tonight are not very high.

FIGs go here. Remember folks: 5:00 p.m. start.

Islanders News

• A preview of this evening’s game. New lines, no Pierre Engvall tonight, most likely.

• Bits went up late yesterday, so check out yesterday’s post for more links, including news about a couple more injured players returning to the ice. [LHH]
• Despite how bad they have been and how close to the conference basement they are, they’re also only two points out of a playoff spot. So they need to stop giving away points. [Newsday]
• Stefen Rosner writes that the Islanders don’t need to make a move like that just yet; they should see what happens when the injured guys get back. [THN]

Elsewhere

Last night’s NHL scores include the Rangers surviving the Penguins to get a win and snap Pittsburgh’s streak.

• It happened as I posted yesterday’s Bits, but the Rangers traded captain Jacob Trouba, no salary retained on his $8 million AAV contract with two years left after this one, to the Ducks in exchange for depth defenseman Urho Vaakanainen and a fourth-round pick. I don’t know why other GMs keep doing these favors for Chris Drury. [NHL]
• Trouba wasn’t pleased with how his whole situation was handled. I’d like to think this deters other players from wanting to go there, but it’s the Rangers. That won’t happen. [NY Post]
• The team hasn’t announced it yet, but it appears Igor Shesterkin also signed his extension yesterday, eight years with an $11.5 million AAV. Suddenly, Ilya Sorokin’s deal looks like even more of a bargain. [NY Post]
• Finally, I noted it yesterday, but Larry Brooks thinks the Rangers are ultimately angling for Brady Tkachuk, whether in conjunction with trading Trouba to Ottawa or in a separate deal, and it would involve 2020 first-overall pick Alexis Lafreniere going back the other way. [Po$t+] However, Senators mouthpiece-in-the-media Bruce Garrioch reported that the Tkachuk rumor is “total [BS].” [Ottawa Citizen]