Isles Save Best For Last

Your 3^rd in the east, New York Islanders are in Toronto to face the 15^th place Maple Leafs.  It’s another dangerous “weaker” opponent that New York had better be ready to play.  Especially on the eve of an Isles-Rangers match on tap for Tuesday.  Michal Neuvirth gets another start in net & Tyler Kennedy is in for Colin McDonald and will play with Michael Grabner & Brock Nelson in his Isles debut, according to Arthur Staple, which means the fourth line has become the fourth line again.  Nazem Kadri was scratched tonight for Leafs for being late to practice.

Lee-Tavares-Bailey, Kulemin-Nielsen-Strome, Grabner-Nelson-Kennedy, Martin-Cizikas-Clutterbuck.

de Haan-Hamonic, Leddy-Boychuk, Hickey-Visnovsky.

Michal Neuvirth gets the start with Jaroslav Halak backing up.

Just 3 minutes into the first period, Anders Lee is called for hooking on Reilly.  Shortly after, Van Riemsdyk is called for roughing on Calvin de Haan.  Both teams exchange PP chances early in the first period, but fail to score.  While the Isles are having trouble finding their game again in the first, Tyler Kennedy starts his Islanders career with a gritty, tenacious back check as expected.  Ryan Strome called for a weak high stick on Phaneuf, Isles back to the PK.  Shortly after, Cal Clutterbuck called for tripping on Bozak.  5 on 3 for a minute, Isles PK comes up big in each.  .  Ryan Strome gets beat badly & Booth gives the Leafs a late 1st period goal with 1:37 remaining, 1-0 Toronto.  As good as they are, Isles really need to stop keeping bad teams in the game & giving up late goals. A big negative heading into spring indeed.  Bernier has been really good for Toronto, shots were even at 12-12.

Isles come out a little flat in the second until Travis Hamonic works hard enough to draw a holding call on Erixon, but the Isles fail to generate much on the PP.  Bernier comes up big again, robbing JT & Josh Bailey from in close.  Holland makes it a 2-0 Toronto lead mid-way through the second period.  Kessel follows up with a slash on Frans Nielsen, but the Isles fall short again on the PP.  Isles & Leafs exchange PP chances again, nothing happens as a result.  Nick Leddy looks hurt and goes to the bench.  Period ends with the Isles ahead in shots 11-6, but down to the Leafs by a 2-0 score.  New York had better find another gear, because despite gaining points lately, have developed a lot of holes in their game and seem to be grinding listlessly at times.  Tonight will be a costly wakeup call and tomorrow night can be a nightmare if this team doesn't snap back & play like we know they can.

Nick Leddy is not on the Isles bench to start the third.  Capuano juggling lines again as Kennedy goes with JT & Bailey.  John Tavares drops it to Tyler Kennedy (Tavares & Bailey) who rips it past Bernier for his first points as an Islander, to make it a 2-1 game 1:32 into the period.   Van Riemsdyk converts off a turnover, 3-1 Toronto.  Ryan Strome draws a holding penalty from Booth.  Huge PP for the Isles and Frans Nielsen (Lee & Bailey) gets it done with a PPG, 3-2 the score.  Casey Cizikas (Hamonic) puts in a shot from the crease.  Isles score twice in 30 seconds to tie the game at 3-3.  Michal Neuvirth makes a huge save on Reilly to keep the game tied.  Bernier with a couple on saves late as time expires.  Isles had a 19-6 advantage in shots for the period, 42-24 in regulation.  1/5 on the PP and 4/4 on the PK.  This game will go to overtime.  The fact that the Isles will get a least a point in this game is grand theft.

In the overtime period, Brock Nelson rings one off the post, but John Tavares silences the crowd with the O.T. winner, his 33^rd goal and 72 league leading point of the season.  Islanders win 4-3 on a 2-1 shots advantage in the extra session.  Isles pick up 6 points of a possible 8 (2-0-2) on this road trip.

The Isles had a balanced scoring attack once they found their groove.  Credit Capuano for having the pulse of his players for his line shake ups.  John Tavares with 2 points on the night, including his 8^th O.T. goal (4^th of the season) and most in Islanders history.  Michal Neuvirth (22 of 25 with an .880Sv%) should find his rhythm as he plays with a new defense and Tyler Kennedy is clearly as advertised. A gritty pest that has some mitts (1G & 1 A).  And let’s hope there is good news on Nick Leddy soon.

Tonight’s game was another reminder that all though this team has their shortcomings, they’re having a banner year and they never quit working hard.  Who knows how far they will get in this year’s playoff run, but when it comes down to it, you can never count this team out.  90 points.  90.  Tied for most in the east (MON).

Rangers tomorrow.

Sound Tigers Notes:

Justin Courtnall has been traded to the Syracuse Crunch for future considerations.

Islanders Fall Short In Florida

Your New York Islanders went into Florida last night to face the pesky Panthers who, despite being down two goaltenders, are in a fight to remain in the playoff chase.  Michal Neuvirth (15 of 18 with a .833Sv%) got his first start as an Islander and said he had trouble finding a rhythm while facing only 18 shots.  While the Islanders had several takeaway opportunities and 3 comebacks in a gritty, physical game, they also had trouble finding their rhythm & generating much through the neutral zone for most of the contest and it cost them by way of a 4-3 overtime loss.

 

 

Gundbranson opened the scoring for Florida with a deflection off Casey Cizikas by the midpoint of the first period.  The Isles would come out hard in the second & John Tavares (Lee) scored his career high 32^nd goal of the season to tie the game at 1-1 with a nice top shelf backhander in close.  Bjugstad scored a few minutes later to put the Panthers ahead again but Nick Leddy (Tavares & Nielsen) would add a PPG for his 10^th goal of the season to tie the game at 2-2 late in the period.  Florida reacquired the lead after a Huberdeau tally half way through the third, but New York would answer a few minutes later when Josh Bailey (Tavares) put one in from near the blue line to tie the score once again at 3-3.   With a late PP in regulation, the Isles moved the puck well and got several good chances to net the game winner as the period wound down, but couldn’t finish.  The game went to overtime.

 

 

 

New York had 2 shots to Florida’s 1 in O.T., but neither team could find a way to score.  Despite another good effort, the Isles fell short to lose in the shootout by the score of 4-3 after Frans Nielsen, John Tavares and Josh Bailey failed to convert in the extra session.  I am not sure about the dead stop/sliding into Neuvirth shootout goal by Huberdeau to win the game, but it hardly matters now.  Some points of concern were nothing new.  The Isles PP needs to improve and they are turning the puck over a little too much lately for my liking.  And Frans Nielsen and the Isles have lost a little of their shootout magic, losing 3 of their last 4.

 

 

The Isles did manage to grab a point and John Tavares had another solid, getting 1 & 2 for 3 points and was named 2^nd star of the game.  Tavares is now alone at the top of the NHL in points with 70 (Ovechkin & Backstrom with 69) and has made a statement about being a serious contender for MVP considerations.  The Isles outshot the Panthers 28-18 through overtime and were 1 for 3 on the PP and 0/1 on the PK.

 

 

 

The Islanders finish their road trip in Toronto on Monday with another dangerous game against the struggling leafs.  They will follow up with a critical Tuesday matchup against the Rangers, who will have an increased workload to finish the season, but hold a 4 games at hand advantage on the Isles.  The game will be the final regular season Isles-Rangers game at the NVMC.

 

 

 

 

Isles Notes:

 

 

Kyle Okposo continued skating with the team in practice this morning.

 

 

 

West Coast Lookback: Nashville

Your New York Islanders faced the Predators in Nashville last night.  The Preds came into the game on a 4 game losing streak, but boasted a 25-5-1 record going into the contest.  The Islanders have had their struggles lately as well, but have managed to grab points in most of their recent games.  Eric Boulton and Casey Cizikas were removed from the team's IR list to reinforce the Islanders recent bouts with injury.

 

Lee-Tavares-Bailey, Kulemin-Nielsen-Strome, Grabner-Nelson-Clutterbuck, Boulton-Cizikas-McDonald.

de Haan-Hamonic, Leddy-Boychuk, Hickey-Visnovsky.

Jaro Halak got the start with Michal Neuvirth backing up.

John Tavares (Bailey & Visnovsky) and Anders Lee, PPG (Leddy & Tavares) scored in the first period to give the Isles a 2-0 advantage with less than 2 minutes remaining in the first.  While New York took the lead, Nashville came out buzzing, but Jaro Halak was good early, and he needed to be.  The Predators outshot the Isles 15-5 in the first and had several good chances to dictate the play early in the period.  Unfortunately for New York, they gave up another goal late in the period with under two seconds remaining when Wilson put Nashville on the board to make it 2-1 going into the first intermission.

The Isles came out firing (12-5) in the second, but neither team was able to find the back of the net.  More scoring came in the third, when Nick Leddy (Nielsen & Boychuk) made it a 3-1 lead for New York.  Ribeiro scored a controversial deflection that went to review and stood.  Smith followed up with another Preds goal less than 30 seconds later to tie the score at 3-3.  It was another meltdown via turnovers and another blown lead in the third period, but the Islanders proved resilient yet again.  Brock Nelson (Grabner & Boychuk) put the Isles ahead for good, cashing in on a huge rebound by Rinne, for an exciting 4-3 win.  Shots finished 31-26 in favor of Nashville.  The Isles were 1/2 on the PP and 1/1 on the PK.  The victory in Nashville was the first in the last 6 attempts, going all the way back to when Garth Snow played in net for the Isles.

Tavares put on a stick handling clinic throughout the game, while putting himself among the leaders in points with 67 after a goal and assist on the night.  Nick Leddy also had 2 points on the night and proved a key component in the win.  They were named the first two stars of the game.  Jaro Halak finished 28 for 31 with a .903Sv%, improving to 34-13-1 on the season.

The Islanders improved to a 42-21-3 record with 87 points. Good enough for a two point lead in the metro (Rangers) and second in the east behind Montreal (88pts).  Eric Hornick mentions, “Isles are now 7+ over NHL 500, both home and road for 1st time in Post-Cup era.”

 

Kyle Okposo will make the trip to Florida and is planning to take the morning skate with his team.  This is good news for the Islanders who could really use a boost, returning regulars to the lineup.  No disrespect to guys like McDonald, Mouillierat or even Boulton, but the Isles have struggled firing on all cylinders with regularity in several facets of their game.  We know getting guys like K.O. & Zeeker should definitely help the situation.  Speaking of key injuries, New York is in Florida to face the Panthers on Saturday.  Both Florida goaltenders, Roberto Lunogo & Al Montoya are on the IR list.  I'd hope for Michal Neuvirth to be in net for New York in this one.

It’s a must win for the Isles.

 

Isles Notes:

 

Isles rookie, Anders Lee is tied for 25th in the NHL with 22 goals, 20th in NHL with +14.

Son of ex-Islander seeking no-jail deal after charges in Boogaard overdose.

West Coast Lookback: Isles Drop A Close One In Dallas

Arthur Staple had some pregame notes prior to the game against Dallas last night.  Jaroslav Halak was slated to play in goal with Michal Neuvirth backing up, Lubomir Visnovsky would be in for Brian Strait & Tyler Kennedy would play in place of Kael Mouillierat.  Kennedy would wear #26 and Neuvirth, #30 for New York.

A short time after, the Islanders Twitter account made an update.  “Injury Update: Tyler Kennedy will not dress tonight due to an upper-body injury. Kael Mouillierat will take his place in the lineup.”

Today, Staple said, “Capuano: Kennedy sent back to LI for further evaluation. Cizikas could arrive later today.  Cizikas could play tomorrow, particularly if Martin is suspended. Hearing is later today.”

I asked Staple on twitter if Kennedy’s injury undisclosed to Isles in the trade.  A short while later, he put up a tweet saying, “Kennedy's injury was preexisting before the trade, though he'd been playing sparingly for SJ up to deadline.”  This was odd because reading the game notes and seeing Kennedy in pregame interviews, he seemed in good spirits and excited to play his first game as an Islander.  It’s an unfortunate aside for a player that could help the Islanders depth at forward when healthy.  While there isn’t a reason to worry as of yet for the potential Kennedy will bring for a late round pick, it is an interesting thing to keep an eye on going forward.

The game started in the usual way, until the Islanders found themselves on the PK for 5 minutes.  The Stars broadcaster called Matt Martin the Islanders “barbaric winger,” after Martin received a 5 minute major and a game misconduct early in the first period for a hit on Stars defensemen, Trevor Daley.  Martin was scheduled to have an NHL hearing for his “knee to knee” hit on Daley.  Dallas Coach, Lindy Ruff said Daley could be out “weeks,” with his lower body injury in a press conference today.  Grabner and Kulemin filled in for Martin’s lost ice time and helped the Isles manage the deficit of being a man down for most of the game.  

UPDATE: Martin has been suspended for one game per NHL.

After the Isles killed off the major, Josh Bailey (Strome & Nelson) gave N.Y. a 1-0 lead near the end of the first period.  Neither team would score in the second period.  Richie & Fiddler would score early in the third to give the Stars a 2-1 lead in the game that seemed like it would carry them through regulation until Anders Lee came up big with less than 2 seconds remaining by putting a desperation shot off a Dallas defender to even the score at 2-2 & force overtime. 

Unfortunately for N.Y., Thomas Hickey would ring another possible O.T. game winner off the cross bar.  Shortly after that, Eakin would score the 3-2 game winner at 2:18 of the extra session, but not before the Islanders stole a point to help them keep pace in the race for the metro division lead.

The officiating left a lot to be desired again, but credit the Isles for at least working hard and finding a way to stay in the game until the end.  The Isles were a disappointing 0/3 on the PP, but held a solid 5/5 on the PK.  Jaro Halak (32 of 35 with a .914Sv%) played another solid game for the Islanders and was named third star of the game.

In Nashville next on Thursday, 8PM start.

  

Yes!Yes!Yes!

Sound Tiger Notes:

The Islanders have reassigned goaltender Kent Simpson from the Stockton Thunder to the BST. 

The BST have acquired Dyson Stevenson from the Portland Pirates in exchange for Matt Lashoff. 

NHL Notes:

ESPN awarded exclusive U.S. media rights for 2016 World Cup of Hockey. 

Islanders Add Kennedy & Neuvirth

NHL Agent, Allan Walsh summed it up for the casual fan.  “The ‘Trade Deadline’ … is not really a deadline. Teams can trade players after (Tuesday) at 3:00pm.  The ‘Trade Deadline’ should really be called ‘Playoff Roster’ Deadline. (Players) must be on team’s roster by 3:00pm to be eligible for playoffs.”

I was ready for the Islanders to do little or nothing as this afternoon’s 3PM trade deadline passed.  I said, “Realistically, getting KO & Zeeker back will have more return than the Isles could afford in a trade.  It's all about culture Snow wants here. Won't move bodies for shake up or short term gain unless price is right. We have seen costs.”  I was pleasantly surprised to see Garth Snow did indeed make some quiet moves that I think will benefit the Islanders in a big way this season. 

The first trade hit with time already winding down on the day.  Tyler Kennedy (28) was acquired from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a conditional pick in the 2015 or 2016 NHL Draft.  Conditions meaning that the Isles will surrender their seventh round selection in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, or the Isles seventh round pick in 2015, previously acquired from the TBL, unless they win the Cup and he plays 50+% of games in final.  If that’s the case, then will cost them a 3rd-rd pick.  So how much more do you like this trade now?  I am a fan of Kennedy, who will bring even more grit and a potential scoring touch to the Islanders depth at the forward position. 

Kennedy has 4 & 5 for 9pts in 25 games with San Jose.  He won a Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh in 2009, who selected Kennedy in the fourth round (99th overall) in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. In 464 career games with Pittsburgh and San Jose, he has 84 & 110 for 194 points in 464 games and 12 & 15 for 27 points in 76 playoff games with the Pens.

 

To follow up, Snow shored up concerns he had about the backup goaltending situation for New York by adding 26 year old, Michal Neuvirth.  Neuvirth was acquired for goaltender, Chad Johnson and a conditional 3^rd round pick.  He was Washington’s 34^th selection overall in the second round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft and is another guy I always wanted to see on the Islanders after I saw him dominate in Hershey, winning the Calder Cup in both the ‘09 & ‘10 AHL seasons.

 

Neuvirth had a 6-17-3 record, with a 2.99 GAA and a .918Sv% with a struggling Buffalo Sabres team this season and could really break out as a 1A goalie with a much better Islanders team in front of him.  Neuvirth: "I know Jaro is the number 1, but you never know what's going to happen."  It is bound to spur some good goaltending competition between Halak and Neuvirth going into the playoffs and that would seemingly mean a win-win situation for the Islanders.

 

Carey Haber (@HaberMetrics5) summed it up well.  “Isles traded Pedan for a 3rd in '16, two 3rds in '16 for Neuvirth and Kennedy. That's some seriously good maneuvering.”  I would have to agree.  The players are both pending UFA’s and will have an audition with the Isles to see if there is interest in having them remain on the team for the future.  The moves will add $3.6M to the Isles cap situation for this season.

In other moves on the day, Cory Conacher was traded to the Vancouver Canucks for C, Dustin Jeffrey.  Jeffrey, 27, has 31 points in 124 career NHL games with the NHL Stars and Penguins. He’s spent the entire 2014-15 season in Utica with the Canucks’ minor-league affiliate, for which he has 17 goals and 24 assists in 49 games.  Jeffrey has been assigned to the BST.

Goalie David Leggio was traded to the Arizona Coyotes for 6’4, 229# physical defensemen, Mark Louis.  Louis has 174 games in the AHL with 1 & 14 for 15 pts & 349 penalty minutes and will probably be heading to Bridgeport for assignment.

 

Garth Snow pulled off a "redo" of this summer’s underachieving moves by adding quality depth without losing a regular player on the roster or key prospect.  I think that under the circumstances, without losing too much, Snow kept the focus on the long term and still improved the Islanders chances to go deep in this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs.  Yes!Yes!Yes!

 

 

 

Isles Notes:

Anders Lee named NHL Rookie of the Month for February. 

The Bridgeport Sound Tigers could be on the move as AHL experiences continued upheaval according to The Connecticut Post.

 

 

 

Islanders Ignore Hurricane Warning

Your New York Islanders went for a sweep of the Carolina Hurricanes yesterday at the NVMC, but struggled to find the broom all afternoon.  New York lost a sloppy, unsettled game by the score of 5-3 in front of another sellout crowd.  Lineup changes included, Chad Johnson who got the start in goal & Brian Strait in for Lubo Visnovsky on defense.  Former Islander D-Man, Jack Hillen was traded to the Hurricanes yesterday and was inserted on the Carolina blue line.

Lee-Tavares-Bailey, Grabner-Nielsen-Strome, Kulemin-Nelson-Clutterbuck, Martin-Mouillierat-McDonald.

Leddy-Boychuk, Hickey-Hamonic, de Haan-Strait.

Chad Johnson got the start with Jaro Halak backing up.

The Isles worked hard once again, but had trouble clearing their own zone and looked lost right from the start.  Chad Johnson kept New York in the game until Michael Grabner (Strome & Boychuk) scored a highlight goal close to the 12:00 mark of the first.  Grabner skated in through the hurricanes defense and ripped a shot over Ward to open a 1-0 lead for the Islanders.  They were able to get a boost from the goal, but still struggled to find their stride throughout the period and were terrible defensively.  Carolina got on the board when McClement directed a puck in with his skate late in the period, but the goal was under review.  Somehow, turning heel to clearly direct puck into net is not distinctive. Score tied 1-1.  This blown call happened less than 24 hours after Cal Clutterbuck’s legit goal was waived off by NHL officials. 

Things didn’t improve in the second period either.  Thomas Hickey took a terrible interference penalty and Faulk scored on the ensuing PP to give the Canes a 2-1 lead off a terrible effort by Johnson.  Carolina would add two more goals early in the period off suspect defensive play by the Islanders.  The lone bright spot of the period was another highlight reel goal.  This time by Nikolay Kulemin (Clutterbuck & Hamonic).  He simply outworked opposing players and roofed it stick side behind Ward to close the score within 1 at 3-2.  The Hurricanes would answer back and repel a re-energized Isles team with two more goals late in the period for a 5-2 score.

The third period was a better defensive effort and John Tavares (Lee & Leddy) scored his 30^th of the season to make it a 5-3 game at the 10:00 mark.  The Islanders would push hard, but couldn’t outwork the Hurricanes on defense.  After a time out, Capuano pulled Johnson with a few minutes left, but New York was unable to mount the comeback this time.  5-3 would be the final.  The Islanders were outshot by an inexcusable 41-24 margin.  The Isles were 0/1 on the PP and 3/5 on the PK.

The fact that Isles have played a lot of games in a short time needs to be a nonfactor going forward. They can't use it as crutch, because it will get worse going into the playoffs. They need to wake up.  You cannot play a team well below you in the standings and not get up for them or exploit their weaknesses.  And as they struggle to improve their PK, they cannot keep taking penalties like this.  Defensively, the Islanders were off and they continued to have meltdowns throughout the game, even after blocking 23 shots in the game.  They were also guilty of giving up late goals in each of the first two periods, yet again, and gave up momentum going into the intermission.  Johnson (36 of 41 with an .878Sv%) had a few soft goals, but he wasn’t the reason for the loss.  We know that it’s also possible that Nielsen isn’t at 100% and it seems like the losses of guys like Okposo, Cizikas, Grabovski are starting to make an impact.  While the team depth is good, the Isles may have lost a little too much up front to play at the level in which they need to play.  With inconsistent pressure up front, the defense has struggled to maintain the blue line despite some pretty good efforts as individuals.

There were a couple of good things.  Michael Grabner continues to gain speed and dictate a lot of the play when he is on the ice.  If he keeps playing this hard, good things will happen.  John Tavares got #30 of the season and put himself in 1^st place (65pts) for the scoring title by virtue of having the most goals amongst top point getters in the league.  It marks the 2^nd 30 goal season of his career and puts him 1 goal away from a career best set in 11-12 (31).  Tavares, when asked about hitting 30 goal mark. “I don't want to talk about that. Ask me at the end of the season.”

Johnny Boychuk was named 3^rd star of the game.

So the Isles made some of the same mistakes and got beaten by a more motivated Carolina team.  They need to bounce back in Dallas on Tuesday at 8:30pm.

Isles Notes:

Ryan Strome was a +22 coming into yesterday’s game.

Islanders Snuff Out Flames

R.I.P. Mr. LoFaso

 

 

On Friday night, your New York Islanders hosted the Calgary Flames.  The Isles were going for the season sweep of the Flames and needed the two points to get back into first place in front of the New York Rangers.

Lee-Tavares-Bailey, Grabner-Nielsen-Strome, Kulemin-Nelson-Clutterbuck, Martin-Mouillierat-McDonald.

Leddy-Boychuk, Hickey-Hamonic, de Haan-Visnovsky.

Jaroslav Halak got the start with Chad Johnson backing up.

The Islanders meant business in this game and came out hard once again.  The down side was that even though they had tons of offensive pressure and were resilient on defense, they had a sloppy game.  The good news was that they would get the 2-1 win after Ryan Strome (Tavares & Hamonic) and Cal Clutterbuck (Kulemin & Hickey) scored for New York. In addition, John Tavares tied for the NHL lead in scoring in the race for the Art Ross Trophy. 

The officiating could have been the story again in the game.  The Isles saw Johnny Boychuk’s defensive recovery in the Islanders zone resulted in a penalty shot chance for Calgary and Michael Grabner’s breakaway was clearly interfered with but no penalty shot was awarded.  Jaro Halak made the save and is 2/3 in his career by the way.  Cal Clutterbuck clearly scored a legal goal that the officials waved off.  But he would score the ENG to seal the eventual 2-1 win late in the third, so thankfully, everything worked out this time.  Another unfortunate occurrence was that Jaro Halak (26 of 27 with a .963Sv%) was 20 seconds away from a shutout when Jooris scored.  Halak also went for the empty net with just over a minute left in the game, but the Flames, Russel blocked the on target attempt.  The Isles were 1/3 on the PP and 2/2 on the PK and outshot Calgary 39-27 in the game.  Kari Ramo (37/38) was awesome for Calgary and deserves a mention.

Some standouts for New York were the play of the first line as a whole, but John Tavares’ assist put him in the lead for points in the NHL at 64.  Michael Grabner looked good again on both sides of his game and Travis Hamonic continues to improve with less ice time per game and is +11 for the month.  Ryan Strome does all the little thigns right and once again scored a huge goal for the Isles because of his greatly improving hockey sense and on-ice presence.  Jaroslav Halak has been a major story for the Islanders this year and notched his franchise leading 33^rd win (Smith, DiPietro, Osgood with 32) of the season already.  The Islanders are 2^nd in the east (41-20-2 in 63 gp) at 84 points (MON 85) and back to 1^st in the metro division. Eric Hornick mentions, “Isles re-tied Nashville for NHL lead in wins -- 41. Isles first in East to 23 home wins as well. (Preds have 26).”  Halak & Strome were named 1^st and 2^nd stars of the game.

 

Isles Notes:

NHL investigated alleged Clutterbuck spit on Sedin.

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