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Your Friends And Neighbors – ’17-’18 NHL Team Previews: Future Islands (A Band And Team You Should Have No Use For)

By 1781

Once again, almost all of the talk about the New York Islanders won’t have much to do with what goes on on the ice. There’s going to be tons of stories about where they’re going to move, because clearly sticking in Brooklyn isn’t going to work (who knew a building built for basketball wouldn’t attract a fanbase that is still mostly based an hour away, nor could they generate a following amongst Brooklyn residents who are more concerned with finding a vinyl copy of that album with the girl who plays a theremin with cat). When it’s not that, it’ll be whether they’re trading John Tavares or where he might go as a free agent if they don’t. Or if he’ll stay (he won’t). And sadly for the twelve Islanders fans that are left, the product on the ice isn’t likely to be nearly enough to distract from all of this.

New York Islanders

’16-’17 Record: 41-29-12  94 points  (5th in Metro)

Team Stats 5v5: 47.7 CF% (28th)  49.0 SF% (22nd)  46.0 SCF% (29th)  8.8 SH% (3rd)  .918 SV% (24th)

Special Teams: 14.9 PP% (28th)  81.9 PK% (11th)

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Cosmopolitan Bloodloss – Islanders vs Hawks Preview, Passport Renewal

By 1236

 vs 

Game Time: 7:30PM CST
TV/Radio: WGN Ch. 9, WGN-AM 720
You, In Weird Cities: Lighthouse Hockey

There are Long Island residents in town tonight on somewhat of a roll recently, and it’s not Jeff Rosenstock playing the Metro tonight, although anyone interested in the robust LI hardcore and post-hardcore scene would do well to go to the show rather than watch the game, or at the very least pick up Rosenstock’s excellent record Worry. which topped about a zillion best-of lists in 2016. But that digression aside, the Islanders are at the UC tonight in desperate need of points after a comeback win last night in Dallas.

Everything Else

Isles Spotlight: Party On, Garth

By 1456

Can you believe it’s been 10 years since Garth Snow retired as an NHL goaltender and immediately moved into the GM’s chair on the Island? At the time it just seemed the latest spasm of insanity from a complete basketcase of an organization that the Islanders were under Charles Wang at times. It always felt like something that would be quickly corrected once someone with any kind of sense finally bought the Isles. Well, that took 10 years and Snow is still here (and Wang wasn’t actually the huge goof he played at being when he first arrived on the scene, though he had goof tendencies).

What became even more surprising is that Snow turned out to be not terrible at his job, or at least not every aspect of it. Which was stunning considered he didn’t serve any kind of apprenticeship or training. He basically took off the gear and there was a suit under it.

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We Like To Watch – May 3rd And Farewell To Hockeenight

By 1405

Well, that kicked up a notch, didn’t it?

After Brooks Orpik’s pretty gross hit on Olli Maatta in Game 2 you figured that there would be some kind of retribution. You would have gotten pretty short odds on it being known-hothead and lunatic Kris Letang taking a late run at Marcus Johansson, because that made sense. Once again the refs made things worse when they thought they were making things better by keeping Letang in the game. When you don’t eject someone for a hit that late and that malicious, you’re basically asking the other team to take runs at him all night which is just going to escalate the silliness into something no one wants. And that’s what they got. Maybe one day the NHL will hire refs with balls, but I’m fairly sure I’ll be nothing but dust in the wind by the time they do.

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Back For More: Islanders at Hawks Preview/Howling At The Moon

By 1251

the+island vs. williambdavis_480

PUCKDROP: 7:30pm Central

TV/RADIO: WGN for both

HUNGRY HUNGRY HIPSTERS: Lighthouse Hockey, Islanders Insight

I remember the days when these home-and-homes were played between teams in the division, not wrapping up the entire season series between teams in the opposite conferences. Oh well. Either way, the Hawks and Isles will wrap up their season obligations against each other tonight on Madison St. after opening the Barclays Center to NHL hockey last night (though some there couldn’t see it).

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Is That What You Call A Getaway? – Hawks at Islanders Preview, Battery Backup Hot Swap

By 1671

evil empire at RI_Poster.indd

Game Time: 6:30PM CST
TV/Radio: CSN, NHLN, WGN-AM 720
Drones Over BKLYN: Lighthouse Hockey

The Hawks may have believed that Wednesday night was ripping the band aid on their horrendous offseason, but the true test of mettle begins tonight. This will be the first time Garbage Dick will have to face not only an audience who isn’t outwardly and wrongly sympathetic to his “plight”, but one that could very well be baying for blood every time he’s on the ice. There will be no banner ceremonies and coddling emcees to hide behind.

Add to the mix tonight being the home opener in a new building for a team with expectations of its own, in a city not exactly known for being subtle, and things could go sideways in a hurry.

Everything Else

The Longshoreman's Lament – Islanders vs Hawks Preview, Pregame Thread, Plenary Indulgence

By 1349 0

New York Islanders vs oldschool

Game Time: 7:30PM Central
TV/Radio: CSN, WGN-AM 720
The Adventures of Young Billy Joel: Lighthouse Hockey

Ahh St. Patrick’s Day. That wonderful holiday where everyone’s a little bit Irish except for the Jig Asshole and the Dropkick Murphys (both of whom are guaranteed to make an appearance tonight at the UC), and white people are allowed to drunkenly piss and vomit and fight with impunity all over major metropolitan across the country. So bust out the Chinese knockoff green Hawks jersey and order an Irish Car Bomb the way a native born Irishman would, and get on down to West Madison for the Hawks and the (not emerald) Isle.