Top Shelf – Islanders Daily 10/24/13

Mar 7, 2013; Uniondale, NY, USA; New York Islanders defenseman

(4) controls the puck against the New York Rangers during the third period of an NHL game at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Islanders re-signed an old friend of the organization yesterday afternoon to bolster their defensive corps: veteran defenseman Radek Martinek. The signing was a product of the injury to Lubomir Visnovsky, who is on injured reserve indefinitely as he recovers from a concussion.

Martinek had been skating with the team in practice for about a week, having to sign an injury waiver to do so. With the signing being made official yesterday, it’s likely that he’ll replace Matt Carkner on the blue line in the coming games.

At 37 years old, whether Martinek still has enough jump to play an effective game in the NHL remains to be seen, but the Isles have clearly seen all they needed to see, and are now paying him the veteran league minimum of $600,000 on a one-year deal.

In other NHL news last night, noted Buffalo Sabres enforcer John Scott made headlines for his head shot on Boston Bruins winger Loui Eriksson in the third period of a game the Bruins won 5-2.

The league will undoubtedly review the hit, call an in-person meeting with Scott, and likely hand down the stiffest suspension of the year so far. In a season somewhat marred by an increase in illegal checks, stretchers on the ice, and more talk around concussions than ever before, the Scott hit on Eriksson is this year’s lowlight when it comes to hockey cheap shots.

Get a good look at Scott now, because you probably won’t be seeing him for a while. Which, by the accounts of most people who’ve seen the hit, isn’t a bad thing.

(Oh, and by the way: Isles centerman Frans Nielsen won’t be meeting with the NHL Department of Safety for his “elbow” on Ryan Kesler. Isles fans can exhale now.)

-Mike (@MichaelWillhoft)

In Case You Missed It

John Tavares: By The Numbers (Eyes On Isles)

Radek Martinek Signs With Islanders (Eyes On Isles)

Evgeni Nabokov Shouldering Heavy Load (Eyes On Isles)

Is Splitting Up MacDonald and Hamonic The Best Option For The Defense? (Eyes On Isles)

Yormark: Minimal Changes To Barclays Setup, Why Coliseum Wouldn’t Work (Islanders Point Blank)

Two Minutes For Tweeting

I imagine Scott’s hearing with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety will be brief: “Can you explain why we shouldn’t suspend you for this?”   “No.”   “OK then. Suspended.”

Not a bad view of Nielsen’s game-tying goal late in the third period Tuesday night. Not a bad view at all.

I mean, they don’t call him The Great One for nothing.

And because it’s been a few months since we last posted this link, here’s the Bates penalty shot. Enjoy.

Last Night In The NHL

OTT Senators 6
DET Red Wings 1

BOS Bruins 5
BUF Sabres 2

Across The Sound

The Bridgeport Sound Tigers (1-3-0-0) got three points from John Persson on Sunday against the Binghamton Senators, but lost the game 6-5 in overtime. Ryan Strome leads the club in scoring with 6 points (1G, 5A); Andrey Pedan and Johan Sundstrom are tied for second place with four points each. The team travels to upstate New York to take on the Syracuse Crunch on Saturday at 7:00 p.m.

As always, thanks for reading us at EyesOnIsles. Keep it right here for all of your NHL coverage and up-to-the-minute Islanders news. Be sure to check the menu bar at the top of the page for ways to connect with the EyesOnIsles staff; we’re always happy to talk hockey.