Christian’s Daily Links: A Traveling Band of Islanders

When the Stanley Cup Playoffs are all said and done, the New York Islanders might leave the Toronto bubble with a second set of skills to fall back on.

In an effort to kill some of the downtime that they’ll have, several Islanders have brought guitars into the bubble. The talent level among those who have brought instruments varies, according to Johnny Boychuk.

“Some of them are pretty good and some of them are just learning,” Boychuk said. “It’s good to have in your room. We have a lot of time on our hands. Just to practice is not a bad thing. Keeps your sanity a little bit.”

I wonder if the guy lucky enough to room with one of these guitar heroes feels the same way?

Monday was the Islanders’ first full day in Toronto since arriving on Sunday and inched closer to Wednesday’s exhibition matchup with the New York Rangers. Both Semyon Varlamov and Thomas Greiss will get playing time on Wednesday, head coach Barry Trotz revealed on Monday.

Who will start Game 1 for the Islanders is still a major question, but there are a few other questions as well that I examined as they prepare for their best-of-five series against the Florida Panthers.

Hockey Now

The Florida Panthers also arrived in the bubble on Sunday and had their first practice in Toronto on Monday. Florida was feeling confident in the safety procedure put in place by the NHL. (Florida Hockey Now)

Sidney Crosby was on the ice with the Pittsburg Penguins for their first practice in the quarantine bubble, but it’s unclear if he’ll play in Tuesday’s exhibition contest. (Pittsburgh Hockey Now)

Adrian Dater takes a peek at how the Colorado Avalanche is living inside the Edmonton bubble. (Colorado Hockey Now)

The Boston Bruins got one guy back were missing someone else. David Pastrnak returned to the ice, but Zdeno Chara couldn’t practice with the team as he waited for COVID-19 test results. (Boston Hockey Now)

Dylan Gambrell sits down to discuss the 2019-20 season and what he can do to continue his development. (San Jose Hockey Now)