3 pm: Well, Jack said he'll keep his top line together.
Arthur Staple @StapeNewsday · 3h
Capuano said top line stays intact, so Vanek is not out tonight. At ease,
Matt Carkner is out and Boulton is in. Evgeni Nabokov will be in net and if he is lucky, maybe he can steal a game from Alex Ovechkin. Wouldn't that be nice?
A good sign for the defense is that Travis Hamonic traveled with the team and skated this morning with them. Will he be available for the two home games this week? Let's hope so.
7 am: The Islanders will face the Washington Capitals tonight and the line-up could look different -- or not.
Yesterday's talk of Thomas Vanek spurning a substantial offer from the Islanders in order to test free agency has brought the question of sitting Vanek for the balance of the week. Certainly Garth Snow is working the phones (again) trying to find the suitable trade partner for the Islanders for Vanek and possibly Andrew MacDonald. Remember, trades are two-way and they have to work for both parties. That makes things more difficult than just numbers on paper.
To be fair to Thomas Vanek, he has done nothing but be respectful to the Islanders and their fans. He has been professional, said all the right things and always worked hard. So perhaps to sit him before the Olympic break may be a bit disrespectful to him. Or it could give him a little rest before he captains Team Austria in Sochi.
It's a difficult question. Take Vanek out of the line-up tonight and the Islanders have less of a chance of beating the Capitals who have taken the last two meetings against the Isles. While the Caps had their own January losing streak, they are back on a roll and so is the Great 8 who must be pumped as hell about the Olympics getting closer in his home country. Interestingly enough, the Isles and Caps have the same stats for the last 10 games 3-6-1.
The Isles playoff hopes are all but dead, but they still don't want to lose games. So, this will be an interesting few games for Jack Capuano and his coaching staff. The best thing the Isles can do tonight and every night is STAY OUT OF THE BOX. The Isles are the 30th in the league in their PK. Their power play hasn't been great either. (Sorry Dougie)
It will also be interesting to see how the Isles get back home after tonight's game as the Island is set for yet another storm beginning tonight and turning into an ice storm in the morning hours. Why do I mention this? Because the crazy weather Long Island is having may seriously impact the attendance at the Thursday and Saturday games at the Coliseum. Then again, the Isles record alone may be enough to keep people away. (That was for the attendance police.)
The game is on NBCSports tonight, so don't look for Howie and Butch or any positive Islanders commentary.
New York Islanders Blogger • 
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