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Islanders News: Corner turned, perhaps?

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Buffalo Sabres v New York Islanders
Ilya was rolling. | Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

They held a lead for the second time in a week.

Maybe Saturday’s victory over the Buffalo Sabres will set the New York Islanders down the right path. Perhaps they turned a corner, holding onto a lead and not giving up a goal. Or maybe the Islanders merely have the Sabres’ number this year, and there’s more pain to come.

The Islanders finished November with a record of 6-5-4, so they got points in ten of 15 games but only six wins. They need to win more games than that to make the playoffs. They kick off December’s schedule tomorrow night with a quick visit to the Montreal Canadiens.

Islanders News

About Saturday night:
  • They didn’t blow a lead, hooray! [LHH]
  • Maybe they put their demons behind them. [Newsday]
  • That was Ilya Sorokin’s first shutout of the season, and the special teams bounced back. [Islanders] It was actually his first shutout in over a calendar year; his previous shutout was a shootout loss to the Flyers last November.
  • To put it succinctly, they needed that one. [NY Post]
  • Scott Mayfield was able to play but J-G Pageau was not, and Pierre Engvall was scratched. [Isles DTD]
  • Simon Holmstrom’s back-to-back two-goal games were a rarity. [NYI Skinny | Isles]
Other stuff:
  • The Islanders emergency recalled Marcus Hogberg, but Semyon Varlamov will travel to Montreal today.

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  • Going inside the locker room to get the mentality of the team amid their blown lead issues. [THN]
  • Holmstrom has been stepping up of late in Pageau’s spot on the revamped top line. [THN]
  • It’s been a tough season, but Holmstrom has been a bright spot. [Newsday] Anders Lee: “He’s ripping it.” [NY Post]
  • Islanders prospects Quinn Finley and Cole Eiserman round out the top ten in goal-scoring in NCAA hockey. [THN]
  • 4 Nations Faceoff rosters are due today. Last year, when these projections started, Noah Dobson was a lock for Team Canada. Now, he’s probably a longshot, as is the injured Mathew Barzal. Bo Horvat probably isn’t going to make it. Brock Nelson has a chance to make Team USA, but it’s an outside chance. [Newsday]
  • Devastating news in Long Island hockey: Massapequa varsity hockey player and high school senior Connor Kasin passed away after a “sudden medical event” during a game. Our condolences go out to his family and loved ones. [News12 | Islanders Tweet]

Elsewhere

Yesterday’s NHL scores include the Canucks taking a back-and-forth affair from the Red Wings in overtime. Saturday’s NHL scores featured the Rangers snapping their losing streak against the Canadiens, but they nearly blew it and got saved by a late penalty.

  • The Ottawa Senators have hope despite this season unfolding like every other season this core has had. [Sportsnet]
  • Craig Berube appears to be having the desired effect: a vast improvement in the defense of the Toronto Maple Leafs. [TSN]
  • The Wyshynski Awards for the first quarter of the season. [ESPN]
  • A Team Canada projection that features no Islanders. [Sportsnet]