The guys are back to talk Islanders hockey after the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament. Arthur Staple of The Athletic joins the show!
2:46 – Experience Points! presented by Main Street Board Game Café
The boys start off by talking about their take on the 4 Nations Face-Off Tournament. Stefen mentions that his only concern was the injury bug, demonstrated by the potential long term injuries of Matthew Tkachuk and Charlie McAvoy.
6:35 – Stefen gives out 2980 XP to Brock Nelson for his contribution to Team USA’s stellar performance in the 4 Nations Face-Off Tournament.
7:26 – Sean subtracts 980 XP from Brock Nelson because he didn’t finish on his chance in the 4 Nations Championship overtime as well as his icing that led to the game-winning goal by Connor McDavid.
USA & Canada opened their 1st meeting in the tournament with 3 fights in 9 seconds
10:23 – Sean gives out 10,000 XP to the NHL and the NHLPA for pulling off such an exciting event in the 4 Nations Face-Off Tournament.
11:22 – Sean also deducts 8462 XP from Auston Matthews for losing the overtime face-off and neglecting his coverage that allowed Connor McDavid to stay unguarded and pot the game-winning goal.
14:32 – What’s on Tap? presented by Centre Station Bar & Grill
Stefen starts it off by providing an update on the Islanders’ injury situation. Scott Mayfield and Ryan Pulock are fully practicing. Noah Dobson is also a full participant but will need to miss Sunday night’s matchup against the Dallas Stars to meet his LTIR requirement of 10 missed games.
15:52 – Marcus Hogberg has been skating on his own, but isn’t ready yet. The Islanders will most likely have to ride out Ilya Sorokin this entire week as Jakub Skarek has not gained Patrick Roy’s trust.
18:35 – Stefen highlights the importance of Scott Mayfield returning to the lineup. He states “You gotta get the defense balanced because I don’t think there is a more important person than Scott Mayfield returning.”
Sunday (2/23) vs Dallas, 7:30pm – It will be a goaltending duel between Ilya Sorokin and Jake Oettinger. The Islanders will need to take advantage of a team coming off a back-to-back as the Stars are riding the momentum of their win against the New Jersey Devils Saturday night.
Tuesday (2/25) vs NY Rangers, 7:30pm – As explained by Sean, both teams are fighting for their playoff lives. The Rangers will be looking for blood as they are coming off a brutal stretch of games, before and after the 4 Nations Face-Off break. The Islanders will face off against former Vancouver Canuck JT Miller and will look to seize two valuable points in the Metropolitan standings.
Thursday (2/27) at Boston, 7:00pm – The Bruins will be without Charlie McAvoy and could be on the verge of a tailspin. The Islanders will look to take advantage of a Boston Bruins team that is struggling in the standings and will be desperate to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Saturday (2/29) vs Nashville, 12:30pm – The dreaded afternoon game on Saturday against the Nashville Predators at UBS Arena. The Islanders will be battling Barry Trotz’s Predators and could potentially face off against an old friend in Kieffer Bellows.
“You gotta get the defense balanced because I don’t think there is a more important person than Scott Mayfield returning.”
-Stefen on the Islanders getting healthy
21:55 – Stefen voices his concerns for goaltenders and how the two-week break must’ve affected Ilya Sorokin.
25:48 – The Islanders are currently five points out of both wildcard spots, making the next few games crucial to the team’s playoff aspirations.
27:39 – Sean voices his opinion on the importance of this week’s matchups, “If this week goes poorly, we might be talking about selling in a week.” Stefen rebutts by explaining if this week goes well, Lou Lamoriello may use it as an indicator to buy and prepare the team for the playoffs.
30:00 – Hero of the Week
Stefen’s Pick: The Break
Stefen chose the two-week break as his hero because it allowed injured players, like Anthony Duclair, to rest and recover from their injuries. In addition, Optimum and MSG Networks reached a new deal that will allow New York sports fans to continue watching their favorite teams.
Sean’s Pick: The Tkachuk Brothers
Sean picks both Tkachuk brothers because of how the duo performed at the 4 Nations Faceoff Tournament. The brothers had a stellar performance as they led Team USA to the championship game and help grow the sport across the US.
Catch the latest episode of HNiNY featuring Arthur Staple of The Athletic
36:36 – On the Line: Arthur Staple, The Athletic, presented by tovihockey.com
Arthur Staple kicks it off by covering the New York Rangers’ brutal loss to the Buffalo Sabres, since both the Islanders and Rangers are in similar circumstances regarding the standings. He also provided his own take on the Four Nations Face-off Tournament.
39:16 – Stefen asks Arthur about Brock Nelson’s performance and if his trade value, as well as other pending UFAs playing in the tournament, was affected.
41:18 – Sean asks Aruthur to expand on his proposed notion in a recent piece that Lou Lamoriello will trade Brock Nelson at the deadline and what the Islanders could receive in return for the centerman.
47:39 – Stefen follows up by asking if Nelson does get traded, will it be a domino effect that will result in Palmeri and JG Pageau being traded.
50:25 – Stefen touches on Noah Dobson and the trade rumors revolving around him. He asks Arthur what he thinks the Islanders need to see in Noah Dobson’s game before making a long-term commitment since a bridge deal might be out of the question for Dobson and his agent.
54:23 – Sean asks Arthur for his opinion on Lou Lamoriello’s process of preferring to win now rather than building for the future of this franchise.
1:00:08 – Questions Brewin’
1:01:05 – If Brock gets traded, who gets the ‘A’? You’d think Barzal but he may be done for the year.
1:02:07 – Are you hearing that players might be declining to play in next years All-Star Game because they are playing in the Olympics?
1:03:47 – Islanders are 5 points out of the playoffs. Islanders have 27 games remaining. How many games do the Islanders have to win to have a chance?
1:06:23 – Where do you guys stand on the debate on if it’s better in the long term for the Isles to miss the playoffs rather than squeak in as a wild card?
1:10:54 – Would you consider going 11/7 when Dobson is back, sitting Engvall?
1:12:30 – Do we know any details about the extension offered to Nelson? And if Palmeri has been offered an extension yet?
1:18:18 – With Varly being injured for quite a while, do the Isles consider moving on from him at his age and go with another backup (Hog)?
1:18:34 – Isles re-sign Brock and Palmeri at the deadline. What are the realistic money and term numbers that player and team might accept?
1:18:56 – How soon until Dobson is back?
1:19:09 – Could Islanders trade for a backup if Hogberg is not progressing as expected and Islanders are still in the hunt?
1:19:35 – How many wine coolers did it take to get Rosner hammered in college?
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Hockey Night in New York is here to cover the New York Islanders all season long! Join hosts Sean Cuthbert and Stefen Rosner live from Floored Media in Rockville Centre Sundays at 8PM ET at your favorite streaming platforms! (available at YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, and Facebook)