Islanders vs. Flames Gameday: Keepin’ it going’ [Game #52]
Photo by Gerry Thomas/NHLI via Getty Images
The Islanders host the Flames on a Saturday afternoon. It’s a now-rare afternoon faceoff for the Islanders as they host the Calgary Flames at 1 p.m. EST today.
They’re aiming for a third straight win coming out of the All-Star break. They have players back healthy (Ryan Pulock, Adam Pelech, Casey Cizikas) and the optimism is high under Patrick Roy after they dismantled the Lightning bit by bit.
First Islanders Goal picks go here.
Islanders News
Previewing today: Well, almost healthy. Hudson Fasching is still out (but he’d be an extra anyway), and Alex Romanov sat out yesterday’s practice for maintenance. [Isles]
Thursday’s win over the Lightning was their first real “Patrick Roy game,” maybe. Definitely did everything he wanted them to do. [Athletic]
One different approach from Roy: He does lots of one-on-one video work, preferring not to highlight individual mistakes for the whole team to see. Potential beneficiaries: Early pupils Oliver Wahlstrom and Pierre Engvall. [Post]
Every day, step by step, Roy adds something to the team structure instruction. [Newsday]
Anders Lee, for one, is proud of how the Isles have played since the coaching change. [THN]
Flames backup Dan Vladar is on IR, so they have Dustin Wolf up. Expect Jacob Markstrom to still carry the load. [NHL]
Patrick Roy and Cal Clutterbuck had nice things to say about Kyle MacLean (now back in Bridgeport) after his first stint in the NHL at age 24. [THN]
Elsewhere
Yesterday’s scores included the Penguins falling in regulation to Marc-Andre Fleury and the Wild.
The Wild chose that night to pay tribute to Fleury, 39, for his 1,000th game and facing the Penguins for perhaps the last time. [Sportsnet]
Noah Hanifin, 27, has a big decision with an eight-year contract offer on the table from the Flames, and a trade to the highest bidder if he decides to go to UFA. [Sportsnet]
Are young goalies getting earlier on-the-job (NHL) training than years past? [NHL]
Mikhail Sergachev had successful surgery on his leg fractures, vows to come back stronger than ever. [TSN]
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