Islanders News: October preseason wins are fine

Oct 3, 2022 - 11:05 AM

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Sunday night in their first home preseason game, the New York Islanders fielded a reasonably “this is almost our opening lineup” at forward and at least three or arguably four of their expected blueline regulars, culminating in a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.

It’s just preseason, it was just Oct. 2, but at least they avoided perpetuating the anxiety of a winless preseason. They even got a couple power play goals, which may calm that “what happened to our special teams?” feeling, at least for a day.

The preseason is just weird, there’s no two ways about it. It’s always hard to really discern what means anything and what is just hockey’s normal Unpredictability Coefficient on steroids.

The Isles and Flyers do it again Tuesday in Philadelphia.

Islanders News

• They scored a couple of power play goals, Alex Romanov threw several checks, and Brock Nelson made his preseason game debut. [Isles]
• Samuel Bolduc returned to practice after missing five days with an undisclosed injury. [Isles]
• Brock Nelson and Zach Parise like to stay in shape with some tennis in the summer. Nelson only recently took up the game, Parise has played since he was a kid: “I’m more of a defensive player, [Nelson] gets too anxious, and he tries to go for the winners,” [Isles]
• Parise is looking for a rebound in his second season with the Isles, and sure wouldn’t mind hanging on Mathew Barzal’s wing for a while. [Newsday]
• Oliver Wahlstrom gets the “Best Shape in My Life” preseason treatment: He stayed on Long Island over the summer, learned to cook better, worked out with Matt Martin, etc. [Isles]
• Aatu Raty continues to get power play looks, a sign that the team brass likes what they see in him so far. [Newsday]

Semyon Varlamov talks about the game, though the first question about his decision to go without the “dangler” plastic neck guard that floats below many goalies’ cages:

Elsewhere

• “Taylor Hall is week to week.” Seems the fella has some kind of malady to the upper body. [NHL]
• The ol’ Carp Lad rides again: Calvin de Haan returns to Carolina on a one-year deal. [TSN]
• Igor Shesterkin wants to follow the fine tradition of outstanding Rangers goalies toiling on mostly horrible teams. [NHL]
• PRESEASON PANIC! The Canucks are winless in four (preseason) games, so the clock is ticking on not doing more of that. [Sportsnet]
• Rasmus Sandin and the Leafs finally agreed to terms, and of course he returns “bigger” and all that. [TSN]
• Roman Josi met one of the many former presidents of Switzerland, received a couple of bottles of wine, and I guess the Predators are playing an exhibition game there. [NHL]
• Yep, definitely something like that happening, because the Sharks are in Berlin. [NHL]
• The late and inspirational Dale Hawerchuk is memorialized with a statue in Winnipeg. [Sportsnet | TSN]