Islanders News: Sights and sounds from the MetLife ice

9 months ago  /  Lighthouse Hockey

Smile! | Photo by Andrew Mordzynski/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images


And the turf, too. No Achilles tears, thankfully. The New York Islanders and their families took the maiden voyage of practice skates on the outdoor ice at MetLife Stadium. They looked like they were having fun, which was nice to see.
Not sure what today holds for the Isles, whether they’re skating again or off, but I’d imagine the Devils and Flyers will be out there today ahead of their game tomorrow night. Maybe the Rangers too, unless they’re going out tomorrow morning.
In any event, the Islanders will have their hands full on Sunday. On top of dealing with the conditions, they will take on a Rangers team that has won six straight games.
Islanders News

Hudson Fasching rejoined the team for practice. Mathew Barzal joined the team for the picture, but then took a maintenance day. Patrick Roy says he should be good for Sunday, though. [Isles DTD]
The Islanders know they need to be focused against the surging Rangers. [NHL]
They are impressed with the setup, though. Only four guys remain from the last outdoor game: the fourth line and Brock Nelson, who scored the only Isles goal last time. [Newsday]
Captain and former high school quarterback Anders Lee was tossing the pigskin around. [Islanders]
Noah Dobson is excited to play outside. [Islanders] Kyle Palmieri was born on Long Island but grew up in New Jersey playing outside like he will on Sunday. [NHL]
The nebulous “bringing back memories” all the players talk about when there’s an outdoor game. [NHL] They’re excited for the opportunity, of course. [NY Post] “It’s hard not to smile.” [THN]
Sights and sounds from their outdoor excursion. [Islanders] A time-lapse of the rink build. [Newsday] It was nice for the guys to have their families out there. [Islanders]
Andrew Gross had to host an episode of Island Ice ahead of the Stadium Series.
Mike Bossy’s daughter is auctioning off much of his memorabilia. [Newsday]



The little #Isles were ready to take the ice. pic.twitter.com/4nsTr7eTCk— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) February 15, 2024




Elsewhere
Last night’s NHL scores include the Rangers beating the Canadiens and the Penguins topping the Blackhawks. But the Devils and Flyers lost, although the Flyers did of course erase a two-goal deficit to get to overtime and earn a point. And the Red Wings lost out in Vancouver in regulation.

Jake Guentzel left Wednesday’s game for the Penguins, and he will be out four weeks. Interesting decisions ahead for the potential trade chip, who likely will be out until a little after the deadline—he may have played his last game in Pittsburgh. [The Athletic]
Connor Bedard returned to the lineup for the Blackhawks last night and earned a minus on his very first shift. Welcome back, kid. [NHL]
The Rangers likely will be without Blake Wheeler on Sunday after an ugly leg injury knocked him out of the game. [NHL]
It’s Friday, so there’s a new episode of 32 Thoughts available. Haven’t listened yet, going to start as soon as I hit “Publish” on this bad boy.
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