UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Jean-Gabriel Pageau broke a scoreless tie with 4:09 left in the game to lead the Islanders to a 1-0 win in their home opener against the Boston Bruins.

The Islanders centerman scored the game-winning goal by batting the puck out of the air and just under the crossbar to beat Tuuka Rask for the first time all game. The win was the Islanders’ first home-ice win over Boston since 2013.

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Semyon Varlamov returned to the net on Monday after missing the Islanders’ loss to the Rangers on Saturday because of an injury he suffered during warmups. The Isles’ starter looked no worse for the wear, making 25 saves against Boston, which included a number of timely saves in the opening period.

The injury on Saturday forced Ilya Sorokin, who served as the backup against Boston, to make his NHL debut.

While Monday’s win was nowhere near a perfect game, the Islanders played much closer to their style of play than they had the previous game. Islanders head coach Barry Trotz opted to ice the same lineup to allow them a little redemption after falling flat against the Rangers.

The Islanders finished the game with 17 shots on the net and registered five high danger chances against Boston.

Monday was the Isles’ final home opener at the Nassau Coliseum and their first game at the Long Island venue since March 7, 2020,  when they lost in overtime to the Carolina Hurricanes. It was also the Islanders’ first home game without fans.

At the moment, New York State is not allowing fans into arenas for NHL or NBA games. The state has made an exception for the Buffalo Bills NFL playoff games.

In an interview with NYI Hockey Now, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran expressed hope that fans could be let into the Coliseum at some point this season.

The New York Islanders loaned Josh Ho-Sang to Swedish club Orebro HK in the latest turn in the ongoing saga that has been Ho-Sang’s time with the organization.

The move ends any hope that Ho-Sang would at least get the opportunity to play in the American Hockey League with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. After Ho-Sang cleared waivers last week, Mollie Walker of the New York Post reported that the talented, but controversial forward would report to Bridgeport if the organization wanted him to.

After signing a one-year deal and avoiding arbitration, Josh Ho-Sang was not invited to Islanders camp to compete for a roster spot this year.

It’s Time: Free Josh Ho-Sang or Move On

Ho-Sang’s tenure with the Islanders has been at time exciting and at times confusing. Off-ice issues remained with him from his first camp when he showed up late to the first day of training camp.

Josh Ho-Sang has always been a skilled player, but has never managed to stick with the NHL club. In 53 NHL games, Ho-Sang has seven goals and 24 points.

What happens to the 2020-21 NHL season if there’s a national lockdown in the United States after President-Elect Joe Biden is sworn into office on January 20?

Just as it has the airwaves and press clippings, the potential 2020-21 NHL season start date and format has been the topic du jour amongst ‘NHL Professionals’ (players, coaches, scouts, management, agents) since our last edition of ‘Off The Record’. 

There’s also been some trade and free agent chatter but more speculation as teams, players and agents await the fate of the 2020-21 NHL season while the second wave of COVID hammers North America worse than the first and the transition of the United States Presidency remains on hold. Could the NHL Trade Market heat up once we have a date?

Warning: The first three OTR tidbits this week are not going to cheer you up but the reality is that not just at the rink but in North American life in general, the news is not bright.