Ethan Sears joins Sean and Stefen to recap another rough week the Islanders that at least ended on a positive note.
2:10 — Experience Points! presented by Main Street Board Game Café
Busy week for the Islanders that ended on a decent note. However, the Islanders lost three straight games which had them finishing the week with a 1-2-1 record.
3:18 – Sean and Stefen talk about the recent games starting off with the Red Wings completing their season sweep against the Islanders last Monday. Anders Lee, however, remains a bright note for the team.
5:19 – The guys move on to discuss the brutal loss against the Boston Bruins last wednesday. Brad Marchand and Brock Nelson both fail to complete their respective hat tricks.
Sean takes Experience Points away from the Isles for more blown leads
6:27 – The Islanders lost to the Washington Capitals in a Black Friday Matinee. The Islanders blew a 4-2 lead in the third but Kyle MacLean scored his first goal of the season and Simon Holmstrom potted two goals against Logan Thompson.
7:14 – Sean and Stefen discuss the penalty kill woes and how it’s unable to bail out the team in crucial moments, another contributory factor to the blown leads.
10:46 – Stefen brings up some interesting yet concerning statistics. Stefen states “Out of the 16 losses the Islanders have this year: 12 are by a goal, that’s not counting the empty net…the powerplay in those games is 2 for 37 (5.4%).”
12:02 – Sean wants to end the recap on a positive note before giving out experience points. The Islanders and Ilya Sorokin shutout the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night where Simon Holmstrom collected another two goals.
14:20 – Stefen bestows 200 points upon Hudson Fasching for being noticeable during his limited ice time.
14:41 – Sean subtracts 587 XP from the overall roster as their poor performance because of their inability to close out games leading to an “epidemic” of blown leads according to Sean.
“Out of the 16 losses the Islanders have this year: 12 are by a goal, that’s not counting the empty net.”
-Stefen Rosner
17:16 – On The Line: Ethan Sears, NY Post
Ethan Sears joins the show to talk New York Islanders hockey. After an eventful week, how do the Islanders measure up after passing the 20 game mark?
18:02 – After being asked by Sean if last night’s win against the Sabres is a win that the team can build off of, Ethan Sears views it more as a “mirage until it’s not” in the sense that it is encouraging, but needs to be more sustainable.
19:43 – Stefen asks Ethan about Pierre Engvall’s recent performance. He went on a three game scoring streak, but was healthy-scratched against the Buffalo Sabres. Is Patrick Roy calling in another “wake up call” or does Engvall no longer fit his vision for the roster?
Ethan Sears talks about the Islanders power play struggles
22:10 – Sean asks Ethan if Noah Dobson is due for a Patrick Roy style wake-up call as his defensive play has been a detriment to the team’s effort in closing out games as of late.
23:35 – The guys ask Ethan about the special teams struggles that have contributed to the recent losing streak. Stefen particularly asks how the players have felt about Roy’s message to keep the powerplay “simple,” while Sean asks Ethan about the penalty kill failing at the absolute worst time during a game and what can be done to fix it.
28:02 – Stefen asks Ethan about Bo Horvat’s recent struggles and if he is a cause for concern.
29:59 – Sean asks if the Islanders continue on this trend of taking two steps forward and three steps back, does Lou Lamoriello attempt to salvage the season by making a move to keep them in the playoff mix or does he sit and wait for his key players to return from injury?
32:54 – Stefen asks for Ethan’s opinion regarding Simon Holmstrom’s recent performance and if it will be sustainable enough to keep him in the top-six or if he will be sent back down to the bottom-six once everyone is healthy? Ethan Sears provides an interesting take that Patrick Roy could experiment with a top line of Lee – Horvat – Holmstrom with a trio of Duclair – Pageau – Barzal on the third-line once everyone is healthy.
37:48 – What’s on Tap? presented by Centre Station Bar & Grill
The Islanders have another jam-packed week and once again find themselves facing a number of winnable games.
38:20 – Starting off with Montreal Canadiens, the Islanders will face off on Tuesday against the Habs where Sean begins the conversation by wondering if the Islanders can close out the Habs in regulation.
39:02 – Stefen maintains that the Canadiens cannot be underestimated as their ownership and management clearly wants to make the playoffs this year, but are currently struggling to do so.
40:22 – The Islanders will take on the Seattle Kraken on Thursday night at UBS arena. The Islanders blew a lead in their last duel against the Kraken, but this is another beatable team the Islanders will look to redeem themselves against.
Stefen on the importance of beating the Canadiens
41:08 – Stefen mentions that Joey Daccord will be an X-Factor in Thursday’s matchup as he has looked very inconsistent for the Kraken.
41:28 – On Saturday, the Islanders will take on the Carolina Hurricanes. Stefen mentions that a critical strategy against an inconsistent netminder in Pyotr Kochetkov will be to get pucks to the net. Stefen stated, “Goaltending is the only reason the Hurricanes haven’t won a cup.”
42:31 – The Islanders will need to lock down the Hurricanes top-six, especially Martin Necas who has been on a 37 point heater in his 24 games played.
43:01 – The Islanders will take on the Ottawa Senators on Sunday afternoon. Sean maintains that this is a beatable team even on a back-to-back.
44:17 – Sean asks Stefen for his prediction on how the upcoming week will go down for the team. Stefen predicts the Islanders will beat the Canadiens and Seattle, but lose in overtime against the Hurricanes. He concludes the Islanders will follow up their OT loss to the Hurricanes by beating the Senators Sunday for a record of 3-0-1.
45:45 – Sean proclaims the Islanders will beat the Habs and Seattle, but lose to the Hurricanes and potentially squeeze out a point against Ottawa. He follows up by asking if the Islanders will find a way to blow another third-period lead this week, Stefen states that there is a statistical probability of that happening.
46:58– Hero of the Week
Sean’s Pick: Anders Lee
47:10 – Sean picks Captain Anders Lee as his hero for leading by example and making his name known on the score sheet. His resurgent play has been a beacon of hope when times have clearly gotten tough for the team. Lee had 3 goals and 3 assists for 6 points in the four games played this week.
Stefen’s Pick: Simon Holmstrom
51:00 – Stefen picks Simon Holmstrom for his multi-goal performances and ability to step-up by not only providing a much-needed scoring touch, but also a stimulating presence on a depleted top-line. Stefen elaborates that his ability to improve his play by becoming more physical and imposing is what makes him such a valued and multi-tooled player for Patrick Roy. Holmstrom is a player that has adapted to fit the Patrick Roy system specially during the injury bug that the Islanders are enduring.
5:01– Welcome to the Snake Den! With Jake “The Snake” Radonis
56:24 – Jake states that while this has been a disappointing start to the Patrick Roy era, Roy has fulfilled his promise to hold his players accountable as shown through the demotion of Pierre Engvall and even benching Noah Dobson.
58:02 – Stefen agreed by adding that Roy went after his own primary powerplay unit by calling them “awful.” It’s refreshing in the sense that it’s a wake-up call not just for accountability, but to also steer players to return to their fundamentals.
1:00:24 – Questions Brewin’
1:00:59 – If the Isles are just outside the playoffs come March, do you see Nelson and Palmeri being dealt?
1:01:38 – Timeline on Duclair and Pelech back?
1:02:43 – If we are well out of the playoffs by the TDL (Trade Deadline), do we stand pat?
1:05:49 – Where’s the leadership? At some point a true leader shakes this team and says knock off all the mistakes. Messier, Potvin, Yzerman would stand up and lead. You telling me this team wouldn’t respond to a guy like that?
Catch the latest episode of HNiNY featuring Ethan Sears of NY Post
1:08:56 – Does Simon [Holmstrom] get consideration for team Sweden?
1:09:24 – (Multiple Choice) Where will Wahlstrom start next season? A. NHL, B. AHL, or C. Europe?
1:10:12 – I am terrible with math. If Engvall is placed on unconditional waivers, how will the numbers work out?
1:11:46 – What do you attribute to the awful PK? Do they just not have good Penalty Kill type players?
1:13:55 – Does Brock [Nelson] make 4 nations roster?
1:14:31 – If we do stand pat, where is a realistic number to re-sign both Nelson and Palm?
1:16:22 – Who is safe from a trade? I say no one is safe. Maybe Sorokin. Everyone else is on the block.
1:17:23 – Two part question. Do you see the Islanders making a trade before the Christmas freeze and have you heard that Toronto has an interest with Nelson?
1:18:12 – Can you guys take Jacob Trouba?
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Hockey Night in New York has returned 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)