IBO Boxing Honesty and Integrity
With a final stretch of eight games left in the regular season, the Islanders are faced with a tough task: bouncing back from a mediocre 2-3-1 stretch, losing all four games to playoff teams they might face in the first round in the Washington Capitals and the Boston Bruins. Despite the ...
Read More »Watling: Wrapping up the trade deadline in the East Division and where the Islanders stand
Just two days after the NHL trade deadline, the MassMutual East Division saw 11 trades made by its eight teams over the last week. Out of the eight teams, only the New York Rangers did not make a move, opting to keep a slew of unrestricted and restricted free agents, ...
Read More »Watling: Komarov Surprisingly Effective on Top Line, Despite Need for More Talent
After the injury to Anders Lee, it took some line shuffling, but head coach Barry Trotz seems to have settled on Leo Komarov playing on the top line alongside Mat Barzal and Jordan Eberle. While fans – myself included – loathe the decision, Komarov has not hindered the line’s play ...
Read More »Watling: Isles Need Hall Trade to Save Sputtering Offense
Just over a month ago, before the injury to captain Anders Lee, I wrote the Islanders needed to make a move for a talented forward. At the time the Isles were a middling 9-6-3, battling for the third or fourth seed in the East Division. Fast forward to now, they ...
Read More »Watling: Hickey Stepping Up, Offers Long-term Solution to Defensive Depth Issues
Thomas Hickey returned to the Islanders’ lineup for a pair of games in the absence of Noah Dobson, and boy did he deliver. Beyond the pair of wins, the team rallied behind Hickey who waited over 650 days to take the ice for the big club once again. “He played ...
Read More »Watling: Isles, Barzal have big chance to shine with NHL’s ESPN deal
Five days ago ESPN announced it reached a seven-year deal with the NHL to bring hockey back to the Disney cable network for the first time since 2004. With 25 games on ESPN or ABC throughout the regular season, the bigger news comes in three parts: one being that the ...
Read More »Watling: Despite similar roster, the Islanders are far superior to last year’s club
After sweeping three straight games against the Buffalo Sabres, the Islanders sit atop a loaded East division by two points over the Washington Capitals, who have a game in hand. At roughly this point last year, when the NHL went on pause, the Isles were badly struggling, just holding the ...
Read More »Watling: Two years since 'The Return,' it is time for Islanders' fans to forgive their former captain
It has been 974 days since that dreaded summer day when John Tavares spurned the New York Islanders and signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Sunday marked the two-year anniversary since he returned to the Coliseum, where the former embattled Isles captain was met with boos that were louder and ...
Read More »Islanders need to make moves for talent before it is too late
When I first sat down to write this story, I had a great big idea lined up discussing Taylor Hall. Why the Islanders need to trade for him and how much he may cost. But after about five minutes of research, Pierre LeBrun ruined my idea, thanks Pierre. In all ...
Read More »Islanders cannot remain complacent as they face big stretch to climb standings
After a commanding 3-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres, in which the Islanders did not allow a single shot in the third period, one sentiment rings throughout: it is time to kick it up a notch. As of the date of publication, the Islanders sit in third place in the ...
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