UPDATE 5:20P Islanders prospect Kirill Kabanov has been reassigned to Stockton of the ECHL. I'm digging into this... CT Post writer Mike Fornabaio reported that he was late to a team meeting today and Newsday's Arthur Staple is reporting that its not a demotion and the team wants to get him more minutes saying Kirill hasn't earned top six minutes... so take from that what you will...
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The Islanders look to bounce back tonight against the Phoenix Coyotes after an underwhelming third period Saturday night which cost them a point against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Islanders' head Coach Jack Capuano announced today that the lineup will be the same tonight including between the pipes as Evgeni Nabokov will make his third consecutive start.

Winger Cal Clutterbuck is close to a return but he is not quite recovered from a skate laceration he received during a preseason game against the Flames. Clutterbuck is skating with the team and he is almost ready. When he does return the Islanders will have a roster move that will need to be made in order to get to the league mandated 23 man roster.

As the Islanders battle the Coyotes tonight it will be interesting to keep an eye on the top line as they were better against the Blue Jackets but still aren’t firing on all cylinders. Also the defense was noticeably better but as a group they still need to be collectively stronger. Through two games Evgeni Nabokov has been very good between the pipes. It will be interesting to see how the team manages his work load as I would imagine he will get a day off soon.

Meanwhile across the sound the Bridgeport Sound Tigers kicked off their season by splitting a pair of games. On Saturday they were defeated 5-2 by the Wilkes Barre-Scranton Penguins and on Sunday they rebounded with a 4-3 shootout win over the Norfolk Admirals.

Much like their parent squad the Sound Tigers are a work in progress. Their defensive zone coverage was brutal on Saturday but noticeably better on Sunday. Still they need to tighten up especially the forwards who were very shaky in their own zone over the weekend. On several occasions goalie Anders Nilsson was hung out to dry but overall was solid in the two games.

Defenseman Andrey Pedan had three points in the two games including his first career AHL goal. Ryan Strome tallied three assists over the weekend while Anders Lee had a goal and an assist and Kirill Kabanov added a goal. The Sound Tigers should be able to score this season they just need better d-zone coverage and recognition especially from their forwards.

I will continue to update the Sound Tigers throughout the year and I’m lining up some guests to keep you informed on these future Islanders. As always for more on all things hockey please follow me on twitter at @DanDanNoodles78.

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