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Isles odds and ends

October 20, 2014, 12:04 PM ET [150 Comments]
Dan Petriw
New York Islanders Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Travis Hamonic left this morning’s practice after appearing to still be in discomfort from the knock in the ribs he took Saturday against the Penguins. It is unclear of his status for tomorrow night’s game against the Maple Leafs. If he is ruled out for sure, I would suspect that we could see a call up from Bridgeport. Once his status is clear, we can worry about lines and pairings for tomorrow. There is also the chance that Lubomir Visnovsky will make his season debut tomorrow, so a roster move may not be necessary.

The Islanders will look to bounce back after their first defeat of the season, falling to the Penguins 3-1 on Saturday. The difference in the game was the special teams as the Isles could not capitalize on their chances and the Penguins were able to bury theirs. The Islanders were unable to truly establish their game over the course of the night but the positive to take from this game is that even subpar execution can still leave them in competitive games.

I was not enamored with the season debut of Colin MacDonald. He wasn’t awful but he was not noticeable and my frustrations with the fourth line continue to mount. I suppose if my only sticking point is the fourth line then this is a much improved team. I have to ask the question though, why is this line getting so much ice time? More often than not their shift is spent chasing the puck and defending in their own end. Until that line can prove it's worth, it should not be seeing more than nine minutes of ice time a game. The play of center Casey Cizikas has been fine; it is his wingers that have been average at best.

In ownership news, Sports Illustrated is reporting that Barclays Center majority owner, Bruce Ratner, is selling his share of the arena. What does this mean for the Islanders? New owners, Jonathan Ledecky and Scott Malkin, have been linked as possible suitors to become majority owners of the building. If this becomes a reality, it would really cement the Islanders future in Brooklyn.

As for news across Long Island Sound, the Sound Tigers won two out of three games this weekend and Anders Lee is off to a quick start in the AHL. In 5 games, the rugged winger has three goals, two assists, and eighteen shots on goal. If concussed forward Mikhail Grabovski is headed to a stint on injured reserve, then Lee needs to be called up. I’m willing to give the current lineup one more look tomorrow night but if the middle lines look flat, it is time to return Colin McDonald to the press box and bring up Lee.

The Islanders will lose games throughout the year and perhaps even lose a couple in a row. What needs to change is how this team reacts to a loss. Losing is going to happen, but there cannot be the double digit losing streak that we have seen in years past. Tomorrow is a chance to right the ship and get back on track. Let’s hope the Isles are able to come out flying tomorrow night and get back in the win column. As always, for more on all things hockey please follow me on twitter at @DanDanNoodles78.
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