#new-york-islanders

#new-york-islanders

The New York Islanders are in a weird spot. The blue and orange are currently the eighth-best team in the NHL, but are in the midst of a retool. When the team lost Kyle Palmieri and Alexander Romanov for the season, its depth was tested, and so far has succeeded. The Islanders have had the "too many players that should be playing problem," which is a good problem to have, except that the Islanders should make a few moves.

There are certain moments in New York Islanders history that never really fade. They just wait for the right time to be remembered again. Tuesday night at UBS Arena, the Islanders leaned all the way into one of the most infamous, chaotic, and unintentionally perfect moments the franchise has ever produced by selling shirts commemorating the legendary Santa Brawl of 2003.

New Jersey struck first late in the opening period when Brett Pesce scored his first goal of the season, but the Islanders stayed composed and gradually tilted the ice back in their favor. Rittich was sharp throughout, most notably midway through the second period when he denied Jack Hughes on a breakaway to keep the deficit at one. The equalizer came at 7:50 of the second period after a rare mistake from Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom.

The tone was set early-and poorly-for New York. Vancouver stormed out to a 3-0 lead in the first period, capitalizing on defensive breakdowns and passive coverage that left Ilya Sorokin exposed. David Kampf opened the scoring at 8:55 with his first goal of the season, Sherwood followed less than two minutes later, then struck again at 15:47 to bury the Islanders before the first intermission horn.

"We just try different things," head coach Patrick Roy said after Thursday's practice. "All year, since the start of the year, we said we're going to try different things with our lines, and we do the same thing with our defensemen."

Pat LaFontaine has waited long enough - and New York Islanders fans have waited right along with him. On Saturday afternoon at UBS Arena, one of the most electrifying, beloved, and downright iconic players ever to wear the Islanders crest will finally take his rightful place in the Islanders Hall of Fame. And let's be honest: this honor is long overdue. Hall of Famer. Franchise pillar. Face of an era. Pat LaFontaine has been all of that and more.

The New York Islanders have had one heck of a resurgent season. Entering Friday night's action, the Isles are one point off the Metro Division lead. That's a huge difference over last year's frustrating season. That's nothing to sneeze at. It's been the product of several key players turning things around. For instance, Ilya Sorokin is back to his Vezina Trophy-caliber play. Anders Lee looks rejuvenated and reinvigorated. Bo Horvat, recent injury notwithstanding, is playing at career-best levels.

The entire fourth line contributed on both sides of the puck. Gatcomb made quite an impact in Thursday night's matchup, tallying an assist on Kyle MacLean's first goal of the season. The entire fourth line got on the scoresheet that night, with longtime Isles fourth line center Casey Cizikas picking up the empty net goal at the end of the game. This is not much of a surprise to me, the entire line played a fantastic game, and the hockey gods rewarded them for it.

Calum Ritchie is no longer just the New York Islanders' future - no longer a player fans pencil in as a major contributor in future years, he is rapidly becoming one of the most important pieces of their present. With each game, the 20-year-old center continues to carve out a larger role, and Friday night in Tampa may have been his most defining moment yet.

We did everything right. We had a lot of shots. We had a lot of chances. We just came up short, Pucks did not bounce our way, I want to be honest. I like the way we are playing. I love the way we compete. Sometimes you have to throw pucks at the net and find ways to get those rebounds. There was urgency, and we needed a shot from the top.

The devastating news regarding Kyle Palmieri's injury has hit the New York Islanders like a ton of bricks. The sobering news has put a serious damper on what has been a good season for the Isles so far. Palmieri joins Alexander Romanov as the second Islanders lineup regular to go down for pretty much the remainder of the season. That's no bueno to say the least. But beyond the crushing effects on the lineup itself, missing Palmieri could also lead to other effects.