NYHN Daily: Islanders See Another Postponement, Issues in Canada & More

Another day, another game postponed for the New York Islanders. COVID-19 continues to be a problem in the Islanders’ locker room as Brock Nelson is the latest positive case. The Islanders added Austin Czarnik and Michael Dal Colle to their taxi squad, which is now full.

These stories and more in today’s daily links!

Keeping it ON the Island

‘The New York Islanders have not played a hockey game since Dec. 19 due to COVID-19. Their break between games just got a bit longer as the NHL has postponed a handful of games, including the Islanders game scheduled for Wednesday against the Detroit Red Wings. (NYI Hockey Now)

Like a CVS receipt, the New York Islanders COVID-19 list continues to grow. The Islanders added four players into COVID-19 protocol ahead of their first practice after the holiday break this past Sunday. Forward Brock Nelson is the latest to head into protocol, the Islanders announced on Tuesday. (NYI Hockey Now)

On Monday night, the New York Islanders added forwards Austin Czarnik and Michael Dal Colle to the taxi squad. They join Simon Holmstrom, Cole Bardreau, and Grant Hutton, who were added to the taxi squad on Sunday. Read up on their stories here. (NYI Hockey Now)

Around the Hockey Now Boards

It was evident that Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand was upset about the NHL pulling out of the Olympics when asked about it a couple of days ago, and the B’s winger hammered that point home on social media early Tuesday afternoon. The B’s rabble-rouser was expected to be on the Team Canada roster for his first Olympic experience in February, and to say he was looking forward to it would have been an understatement. (Boston Hockey Now)

Just in case you haven’t noticed, we’re in the midst of the biggest COVID wave since last January. And just in case you wanted a few minutes reprieve, the NHL reminded us neither is really possible. On Tuesday afternoon, a wave of Canadian games were officially postponed, including the Pittsburgh Penguins game against the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre on Friday. (Pittsburgh Hockey Now)

Garnet Hathaway and Nic Dowd have nothing but good things to say about each other, their eyes lighting up as they discuss their strong dynamic. Over the last three years with the Washington Capitals, the linemates have become more reminiscent of brothers, something that has helped fuel their success both on and off the ice. (Washington Hockey Now)

For the first time in almost two weeks, the Florida Panthers will be playing in a game that counts as they play host to the New York Rangers. The Panthers have not played since a 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Dec. 16 as a Covid-19 outbreak decimated the team’s roster. In the game against Los Angeles, Florida was missing seven regulars due to Covid and had to play two players down. (Florida Hockey Now)

The NHL announced today’s Detroit Red Wings at New York Islanders game was one of nine game cancellations. The league’s COVID-19 postponement total hit 80 games. The Red Wings have several players on the COVID-19 list, including forward Lucas Raymond and defenseman Nick Leddy. (Detroit Hockey Now)

A rag tag group of kids and AHL journeymen adorned in Montreal Canadiens colours more than earned their stripes against the Cup champs. The Habs rolled into Amelie Arena, the scene of last season’s greatest disappointment, and emptied the damn tank. It did not result in the outcome they were looking for, but the Canadiens did everything they could to win this game. (Montreal Hockey Now)

The Vegas Golden Knights (21-12) got back to business Tuesday night in their league-leading 33rd game of the season as they defeated the Los Angeles Kings (14-12-5) 6-3. Jonathan Marchessault scored two goals for the Golden Knights and leads the team in scoring with 16 goals this season. (Vegas Hockey Now)

The Colorado Avalanche will ring in 2022 with having played only 27 games. Their next scheduled game is January 2nd against the Anaheim Ducks at Ball Arena. This comes after a surprising postponement of both Dallas Star games this week. It’s only fitting to finish out 2021 with some craziness. (Colorado Hockey Now)

Kyle and JD review the most disappointing win of the season for the San Jose Sharks. They discuss how the Sharks were outplayed by the worst team in the league despite winning 8-7 in a shootout. They discuss the odd lines that the Sharks used and why Lane Pederson continues to get ice time (8:00). We finish by looking at if Bob Boughner should be on the hot seat (15:00), if this is the end for Brent Burns (17:00), and why looking ahead to the Draft might be the play for the San Jose Sharks (22:00).(San Jose Hockey Now)

It’s like a power outage during an underdog movie. We’ll never know whether Calgary Flames winger Andrew Mangiapane would have made Team Canada for the Beijing Olympics. One of the most intriguing stories of the past year, Mangiapane’s rise to goal-scoring prominence caught the world by surprise. His finish last season, his outstanding MVP performance at the world championships and his hot start this year had him on Canada’s long list for consideration. (Calgary Hockey Now)

League Business

Due to Canada and COVID-19 concerns, nine games were postponed on Wednesday. Any game in which Canada is the host was postponed due to attendance restrictions. Until that is sorted out, it looks like if the opposing team arena is available for that day, a U.S.-based team, than that is the rout the league is heading. 80 games have been postponed this season so far, with only one being made up. (NHL)

It does not matter how many games have been postponed. It does not matter that Minnesota Wild captain Jared Spurgeon and top forward Joel Eriksson Ek will be out, the Winter Classic at Target Field against the St. Louis Blues will be played. It has been two years since a Winter Classic was played and the sellout crowd of 38,000 will get to enjoy it. (NHL)