Top Shelf – Islanders Daily 11/5/13

Nov 2, 2013; Uniondale, NY, USA; The New York Islanders celebrate a goal by left wing Thomas Vanek (26) against the Boston Bruins during the second period of a game at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The goal was Vanek

Yesterday afternoon, the New York Islanders put their seats and tray tables in their full, upright position as they hit the air to begin a four game road trip. The Islanders face-off against a “likely” to play Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals tonight at the Verizon Center in the Nation’s Capital.

The Islanders have yet to have a road trip that extended past two games early in the season. This trip will be the first of the season and will provide a true test to a team that continues to be riddled with injuries.

On Monday morning, the team placed Brian Strait, who has been day-to-day with an upper body injury on injured reserve. In many cases, this could very well be a move to free up roster space for a Bridgeport call-up. However, per New York Post’s Brett Cyrgalis, Head Coach Jack Capuano was quoted, saying: “Right now, the plan is probably not to bring somebody, but that could change, daily.” Although the defense performed much better in a 3-1 win over the Boston Bruins this past Saturday, going on a road trip with a depleted squad can quickly show its ugly affects on the team. We’ll have to wait and see if the plan, does in fact change in the upcoming days.

In Case You Missed It

Next Line Of Defense: Who Do The Islanders Recall? (Eyes on Isles)

Next Step To Islanders Success: Win On The Road (Eyes on Isles)

Why Isn’t Cal Clutterbuck Killing Penalties? (Islanders Point Blank)

Why Kevin Poulin Should Play Tuesday Night (Eyes on Isles)

Two Minutes for Tweeting

• That’s right, folks…it’s not a typo. Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo both sit within the top 10 for points across the entire League.

• As the team left for Washington, they passed over a familiar site: the Old Barn on Hempstead Turnpike.

• This should just about sum up what is going on with the Jon Sim move. The young squad in Bridgeport has been struggling so far this season, and bringing in a veteran can be just what they need. And remember, it doesn’t have to be an All-Star caliber player to provide the leadership needed.

Around the NHL

Anaheim Ducks 2, New York Rangers 1 – ANA (Perry, Palmieri); NYR (Del Zotto)

Winnipeg Jets 4, Detroit Red Wings 2 – WIN (Little, Frolik, Halischuk, Ladd); DET (Zetterberg, DeKeyser)

Across the Sound

The Sound Tigers have won two in a row after routing the Worcester Sharks 7-1 on Friday and taking down the Norfolk Admirals 4-3 in the shootout. The bigger news came Monday when the Sound Tigers handed former Islander Jon Sim a paid try-out. The 36-year-old will provide some depth and veteran leadership to a very young squad in Bridgeport.