Mathew Barzal iffy for Islanders’ MetLife Stadium clash vs. Rangers
On Thursday, concerns about Matt Barzal’s condition appeared to begin to ease as he emerged from the tunnel for practice at MetLife Stadium. However, after taking a photo with the rest of the team at center ice, Barzal quickly returned indoors before practice officially began. So while the Islanders’ biggest superstar appears to be a […]
Why Patrick Roy put Islanders through grueling practice
For quite some time, islanders have relied on their culture. This is a veteran team, they’ve won a playoff series, and they know what it takes. So it came as a pretty big surprise Wednesday when the Islanders went bag skating after a physically demanding practice and their head coach spent most of his subsequent […]
Islanders legend John Tonelli on board with Patrick Roy’s approach
Naturally, the barometer for head coach John Tonelli will always be Al Arbor. But the original number 27 doesn’t think Patrick Roy is half bad. “When you bring in a guy like Patrick, who you know, he’s a character that automatically comes into play, he’s passionate. There’s no question about it, he gets the players […]
Islanders fall in shootout as playoff picture gets a bit bleaker
The Islanders enter their longest second half break with a lot to fix. The spark hasn’t completely faded after the arrival of Patrick Roy after just eight games, but it’s become clear that the Islanders’ problems are bigger than a new voice alone can quickly fix. The Islanders, who lost their second straight game on […]
John Tonelli a fan of Patrick Roy’s Islanders direction
Naturally, the barometer for head coach John Tonelli will always be Al Arbor. But the original number 27 doesn’t think Patrick Roy is half bad. “When you bring in a guy like Patrick, who you know, he’s a character that automatically comes into play, he’s passionate. There’s no question about it, he gets the players […]
Islanders’ Alexander Romanov out with lower-body injury
Just when the Islanders thought it was over, injuries pulled them back. This time it was Alexander Romanov. One of two uninjured defensemen in the Opening Day lineup, he missed Saturday’s 5-2 loss to the Flames at UBS Arena, but was called up by the Islanders with a lower-body injury. Multiplied by He is daily. […]
Islanders follow up big win with lackluster flop in loss to Flames
There’s a lot of optimism around the Islanders right now, but scoring points in the playoff race has proven difficult. And on Saturday, Mackenzie Weegar’s hat trick handed the Isles their first loss since the All-Star break, with a 5-2 loss at home to the Flames, putting the home team just inches away from having […]
Patrick Roy’s one-on-one work with players paying off for Islanders
When Patrick Roy was playing, he never wanted his goalkeeping coach to show him his mistakes in front of the team. He preferred to review the tape in private so that his mistakes were not exposed to all his teammates watching. So as a coach, Roy focuses on doing one-on-one video work with his players […]
Islanders looking to build consistency — and their win streak
Just how bad things were for the Islanders before coach Lou Lamoriello pulled the trigger on the coaching change comes with the realization that Thursday’s win over the Lightning was their first back-to-back wins since Dec. 13. be. That’s nearly two months, during which season-long instability swirled around the Isles and nearly derailed the year. […]
Suddenly-resurgent Islanders dominate Lightning
In their first five games under coach Patrick Roy, the Islanders have understandably looked like a team in transition. I got used to the new system pretty well, but there were some bumps along the way. In Game 6, it looked like a team that had fully bought into what their new head coach preached. […]