The Islanders begin a brief two-game road trip tonight against the Minnesota Wild. New York looks to extend their winning streak to four games.
The goalie rotation continues as Thomas Greiss gets the start. So far the plan has work. Both Greiss and Jaroslav Halak have played well. This keep both goalies fresh down the stretch and it also allows head coach Doug Weight the option to ride one of them later on without burning them out (see Greiss last season).
This will be a homecoming for Nick Leddy, Anders Lee and Brock Nelson. For Leddy, its been a struggle this season. The defenseman has just two assists in the first nine games. Is it a cause for concern though? This has been the trend for the last three seasons through nine games , four points last season, one in 2015-16. Expect big things from Leddy moving forward.
John Tavares, who had four points, including his 7th career hat trick Tuesday against the Arizona Coyotes, is looking for his first road point of the season.
The team has activated forward Alan Quine and sent him to Bridgeport on a conditioning stint. He will join Josh Ho-Sang there. The Sound Tigers have two games this weekend. Ho-Sang was unlikely to play the next two games for the Islanders. The question is will Ho-Sang return to the big club following the weekend. The Sound Tigers are off for six days following Saturday's home game. If Ho-Sang returns then the team needs to make a roster move. I would not be surprised if the team waived Nikolai Kulemin, who has been a non-factor this season. It's unlikely that a team would claim him and would play in Bridgeport.
Vegas Golden Knights forward Vadim Shipachyov has been allowed to seek a trade. It just hasn't worked out for the 30-year-old Russian in Sin City. Despite reports, the Islanders would not be a good fit. Shipachyov, who is making four million, is having a hard time making the expansion team. If general manager George McPhee is willing to take Kulemin then something could work, but just don't see a fit here.