Islanders Gameday News: Wahlstrom goes home as injured players start to return

3 days ago  /  Lighthouse Hockey

Celebrating the return of Adam and possibly Mathew. | Photo by Mike Stobe/NHLI via Getty Images


Boston claimed the former first-round pick; Adam Pelech will play today. The New York Islanders visit the Chicago Blackhawks this afternoon, looking for their fourth win in five games. Although it looks like a home-and-home on the Islanders' schedule, the Blackhawks played in New Jersey yesterday afternoon; the Islanders have probably been in Chicago longer than the ‘Hawks have.
The Islanders will definitely get one injured player back today and might get two. By Tuesday, three of them might be back.


Gameday in Chicago. ⏰ 3:00PM MSGSN | @IslesMSGN | @MSGNetworks MSG+ now in The Gotham Sports App | ESPN+ 88.7FM | 103.9FM Game Preview ⬇️— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) December 15, 2024




FIG Picks go here.
Islanders News


A preview of today’s game. Win it for my 30th birthday, please.
Unbelievably, Mike Reilly was skating before practice yesterday just one month removed from heart surgery. Bo Horvat missed practice and is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. [Islanders]
Pierre Engvall and Oliver Wahlstrom were waived on Friday because the injured guys are getting healthier. [LHH | Newsday]
To wit, Adam Pelech is a definite to play today for the first time since November 1; Mathew Barzal is a game-time decision, and Anthony Duclair is close but not quite there. [Newsday]
Engvall predictably cleared and was actually recalled today to stay with the team with Semyon Varlamov going on IR, but Wahlstrom was claimed by the Boston Bruins. Bon voyage, Oliver. [Post | THN]
The Islanders were one of the teams analyzed in the Eastern Conference playoff panic meter, but it is impressive how they’ve hung around despite all the injuries. [The Athletic]
And they nearly blew up the entire narrative by playing lazy at the end of Thursday’s game against Chicago, but they just might be through the worst of their injuries and the blown leads and still have a real chance at a playoff spot. [The Athletic]

Elsewhere
Yesterday’s NHL scores include the Rangers getting waxed again—hehe—this time by the Kings, falling behind 5-0 just minutes into the second period in a matinee game to a team that was playing at 10:00 a.m. their time.

Never too early to look at the candidates to move at the trade deadline, except when they include my favorite players. [E$PN+]
That said, Lou Lamoriello’s fellow GMs can’t see a way he would trade the highly coveted Brock Nelson if the Islanders are anywhere near the playoff picture. Besides that, though, there are some interesting tidbits from the Board of Governors meetings, including the fact that talks on the next CBA have already started. [32 Thoughts]
Pretty cool that arguably the greatest sports photographer of all time is a Long Island guy who spent much of his time capturing the Islanders: Bruce Bennett has taken some of the most iconic photos in all of hockey history. Here are some of the stories behind them. [The Athletic]
Robin Lehner spoke out for the first time in two years about his ongoing legal and personal struggles, and it was a bit concerning, I won’t lie. [Las Vegas Review Journal]
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