Scoreboard Watching Guide for Islanders Fans on a Busy Saturday

The NHL is finally back. After two weeks off, the  New York Islanders have the first day off, while there are 14 games across the NHL all day on Saturday.

The Islanders practiced this morning, which brought some news. Dennis Cholowski was not at practice and had been sent down to Bridgeport unofficially. The move will become official within 24 hours when the Islanders activate Ryan Pulock. Elsewhere, Noah Dobson fully participated in his first practice since suffering a lower-body injury that landed him on LTIR. He is not eligible to return tomorrow, but a Tuesday night return against the New York Rangers is probable.

Islanders fans can kick back and enjoy Saturday afternoon’s full slate of games.

MAGIC AND TRAGIC NUMBER BREAKDOWN:

First, the formula for these numbers and how they work is simple. For the Islanders to make the playoffs, their magic number must hit 0 before their tragic number does.

The way to calculate each is simple but a little hairy.

First, the magic number equation: 165 minus (-) Islanders’ total points minus (-) points lost by any team you want to know. In this case, the closest teams in the race to the Islanders by points percentage are the wild card teams, such as the Ottawa Senators, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, and New York Rangers, to name a few.

To calculate the tragic number, it’s 165 minus (-) Islanders’ points lost minus (-) total points earned by any team in the race. Credit to @IslesMagicNumber on X, formerly known as Twitter, for establishing this and always having a running guide. it will be vital down the stretch.

The Islanders’ magic number is 58, and the tragic number is 51. Here are some games to watch for the race.

Game #1: Minnesota Wild @ Detroit Red Wings NOW on ABC

First, we begin with the game currently on ABC. The Detroit Red Wings host the Minnesota Wild inside Little Caesars Arena. Both teams are jockeying for playoff positioning, with the Wild entering third in the Central Division. Meanwhile, the Red Wings currently sit in the second wild card place with 61 points. The Islanders trail them by four points with 57.

Detroit currently leads 1-0, as of posting.

Islanders fans should be rooting heavily for the Wild on Saturday afternoon. However, it’s a tired Minnesota team. It felt like half their team played in 4 Nations, including Matt Boldy, Brock Faber, and Flip Gustavsson. Marc-Andre Fleury gets the nod for the Wild, while Cam Talbot starts for Detroit.

Game #2: Montreal Canadiens @ Ottawa Senators, 7 p.m.

Elsewhere in the race, the Ottawa Senators play host to the Montreal Canadiens in an all-Canadian tilt on Saturday evening. Today, the Senators enter the WC1 position with 62 points but have played one more game than the Red Wings and the Islanders.

Montreal had been on a nosedive prior to the season pause and will be ready to go. Ottawa needs a win as it tumbled from a secure third place in the Atlantic to the wild card race. Now, every game matters even more.

Islanders fans want an Ottawa loss here. If they lose in regulation, the magic number drops down to 56. If Ottawa gets a point and the Red Wings win this afternoon, the tragic number moves to 49. It’s a big swing on an off night.

Russell’s Spotlight Game of the Day: Dallas Stars @ New Jersey Devils, 6 p.m.

I struggled with this decision today. Of the 14 games, this, to me, should be the best one. I heavily considered placing the Washington Capitals @ Pittsburgh Penguins game on ABC here out of pure nostalgia. There’s nothing like an Alex Ovechkin against Sidney Crosby game, but it holds little stakes. The Penguins are not in the wild card race, and the Capitals are a runaway in first place of the Metropolitan Division.

Instead, I’m going with what should be a great game at The Rock (The Prudential Center) in New Jersey. The Devils host the Dallas Stars in a dinner-time puck drop. Nico Hischier will return to the Devils’ lineup as they jockey for position in the Metropolitan Division against the Carolina Hurricanes. The ‘Canes hold a two-point edge with a game in hand but play in Toronto on Hockey Night in Canada tonight. That will also be a very good game.

The Stars continue to try to chase down the impressive Winnipeg Jets while also trying to hold off the Wild for home ice in round one. Not far behind are the Colorado Avalanche, who are in a wild card place.

It should be an eventful and high-paced game between two highly-skilled teams in New Jersey. It’ll be a good one, and here’s James Nichols’ preview.